News Release

BEIJING (GNB) – Premier Brian Gallant celebrated the grand opening of the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB) recruitment office in Beijing, China.

“New Brunswick is facing an aging population, which is a challenge for our economy,” said Gallant. “Our universities are facing declining enrolments, which is a challenge for our educational opportunities. As New Brunswick’s largest source country for immigrants, attracting more international university students from China will help our economy and universities.”  

Between January 2005 and March 2016, about 4,200 Chinese nationals became permanent residents in New Brunswick.

Members of the New Brunswick delegation, New Brunswick Trade Mission partners, representatives of Concord College, UNB alumni and Canadian Embassy officials attended the grand opening.

The UNB recruitment office is housed in the Canadian International School of Beijing through UNB’s partnership with AKD Ltd., the parent company of the Concord College Network of Schools in China. The office consists of a single representative who is a consultant to the university, providing information and materials on its behalf to students, parents, recruiting agencies and partners.

“The University of New Brunswick is an internationally renowned institution that plays a crucial role in our economy,” said Gallant. “We should all be proud of the work they are doing.”

“We are thrilled by the prospects and the future we are building,” said university president Eddy Campbell. “With a dedicated recruitment office in Beijing, and staff fluent in Mandarin, UNB will be able to bring prospective students, their parents and our partners further benefit.”

The partnership between the provincial government, through Atlantic Education International Inc., and AKD Ltd. provides several schools in China with New Brunswick curriculum, training opportunities for educators, quality assurance and assessment processes, all of which generate revenue to be reinvested in New Brunswick.

Gallant is leading New Brunswick’s largest-ever multi-sector delegation to China, with more than 15 business and two universities participating in the nine-day mission.