International students: An untapped resource in Peterborough
Their skills are vastly under-utilized, retired businessman says
John Hucks compares a largely untapped “tremendous” resource at Trent University and Fleming College to the annual salmon run.
“The fact is, we can’t take for granted that we will have this influx of bright, young international students forever,” said the board member of the Peterborough Immigration Partnership and organizer of the Trent Valley International Coffee House (ITCH).
The retired dentist, who owned a business in the city for 35 years, told Downtown Business Improvement Area members at a breakfast meeting last week that they can utilize the talents of international students to enhance their business.
A promotional video produced by a Fleming student as a thank-you for providing the coffee house screened at the event is a great example of those skills, Hucks said.
“I am excited about the potential we have in Peterborough,” he said. “We are only limited by our imagination here.”
Shengnan (Wendy) Kang, a second year Trent graduate student working on her masters in applied modelling and quantitative
methods, joined Hucks to deliver a presentation and take part in a question and answer period.
Hucks has been trying to connect international students to the business community, knowing the recent surge isn’t going to last.
Last year’s spike of more than 3,000 international students in the city has already dropped to closer to 2,000, the volunteer said.
“We need to capitalize here in Peterborough by connecting these bright young minds with businesses,” said Hucks, who said the students contribute $114,700 to the local economy by paying for food, transportation and tuition fees.
The city is also up against stiff competition because other countries, and other places in Ontario, are actively recruiting youth, he said.
Hucks wants to explore ways of retaining more international students as skilled entrepreneurs and has proposed an event where Trent and Fleming business and information technology students can visit local businesses and industry to explore possible employment.
“If we could just connect a half a dozen of them, just think of the difference it would make,” he said, highlighting MP Maryam Monsef and councillor-elect Kemi Akapo as examples of retaining international talent locally.
The first step is always making initial contact, Hucks pointed out, noting how community connections create friendships that will make it more likely that international students will ultimately decide to stay here.
He and his wife Cynthia started ITCH, which meets Friday evenings at Sadleir House, about 14 years ago after they found out that only 10 per cent of international students make it into a Canadian home for a meal.
Being involved with the coffee house has helped Kang tremendously with learning a new language, gaining confidence and making new friends. The teacher’s assistant in the math department at Trent and frequently leads seminars.
“I’ve become much more confident in my work,” she said.
NOTES: To connect with John Hucks, email jhucks@nexicom.net … For more information on the International Coffee House, visit ITCHPeterborough.com or find the group on Facebook … For more information on the Peterborough Immigration Partnership, contact the New Canadians Centre at info@nccpeterborough.ca or 705743-0882 or stop by 221 Romaine St.