IDP Education Launches Canada Counselling Operations

Online, March 4, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The world's largest student placement firm, IDP Education, has expanded its professional student placement services into Canada.

Canadian higher education institutions are now able to enlist the student recruitment services of the organization that successfully places one in four students into an Australian higher education program.

Student counselling for Canada as a destination has started in India, where IDP operates counselling centres in 17 key cities. The organization will then steadily expand the Canada service through its Network of more than 70 counselling centers in more than 20 countries throughout Asia and the Middle East.

What sets IDP apart from other student placement services is the size and scope of its counselling Network, which will allow the organization to become a global advocate for higher education in Canada.

Says Luna Das, who previously served at the Canadian Education Centre in India and is currently IDP India's national manager for North American counselling and training: "Canada has an excellent higher education system that students from India are increasingly recognizing as a highly desired destination. We are excited to help students who already intend on studying in Canada realize these dreams, and to introduce to others that Canada may be an ideal destination for their goals and needs."

IDP's student counsellors are all employees of the company, compensated primarily by salary. This, says Mark Shay, IDP's North America director, ensures that the focus is always on finding the right match between a student and an institution.

Adds Shay, "Our mindset is that the relationship between IDP and the university is a trusted partnership. We work to fully understand all aspects of the institution and the types of students it hopes to enrol, becoming an important component of your recruitment structure instead of simply another agent."

Five Canadian universities have already engaged with IDP for this partnership mentality: University of Waterloo, University of Prince Edward Island, Trent University, and Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology, and Camosun College.

"We are encouraged by the professional reputation of IDP, particularly in key markets like India," says Julie Hummel, assistant director for international marketing and recruitment at the University of Waterloo. "We are committed to ensuring that foreign students who are interested in studying at University of Waterloo are being treated fairly and responsibly in their pursuit of higher education. IDP has a long standing reputation of putting students first."

Two Canadian institutions recently toured India with IDP as part of the organization's Spring Road Show, an opportunity to meet prospective students and interact with IDP counsellors. One of those partner institutions was Trent University, where Daralyn Holt, manager of international recruitment and admissions, described her first experience with IDP as "truly professional."

Says Holt, "IDP's staff understands the students' ambitions and are well positioned to represent our university to the growing international market. I was impressed with the quality of their staff and the organization's counselling centre model. We are confident that our meetings with both the company staff and students will soon yield results for us at Trent."

IDP's goal is to provide a full representation of the Canadian higher education system, and is actively seeking additional partners to join this collaborative approach to student recruitment. As opposed to a typical agent who might only represent a small number of institutions, IDP's goal is to bring much of Canada's offerings to its Network.

IDP has been placing students into Australia for more than 20 years. The organization then expanded into the United States in May 2009, and since that time has build the largest portfolio of university partners of any agency worldwide. IDP recently announced an expansion into the United Kingdom, and now Canada is the latest destination country, continuing its growth into a multi-source, multi-destination placement organization.

About IDP Education
Over the last 41 years, IDP Education has become the world's largest student placement firm, operating more than 70 counselling centres in more than 20 countries and placing more than 300,000 students. It is jointly owned by 38 Australian universities and a leading online recruitment firm, and is one-third owner of the IELTS English proficiency exam with the British Council and the University of Cambridge. For more information, visit idpcanada.blogspot.com