Collège de l'île welcoming largest number of first-year students ever

The Island's French college is expecting one of it's largest enrolments this September.

Donald DesRoches, president at ​Collège de l'île, said the college is welcoming a first year class of over 30 students, almost double the number it's seen in previous years. 

DesRoches attributes the increase to the school's new Charlottetown location and its rebranding strategy.  

"We would've had you know half of that, and in Charlottetown we would've had zero five years ago," he said.

"So it's really been a significant increase for the college as we're transitioning to more and more Francophones that are living in the Charlottetown area," he said.

'Better designed space'

DesRoches said it's the first time the school has had wait-lists for certain courses, including the licensed practical nurse program.

He said the school's new campus has given the college a higher level of visibility among Francophone students.

"We have more space, a better designed space to respond to the needs of the programs that we offer. So I think it's been the positioning of this building in downtown Charlottetown that has allowed us to attract additional students."

DesRoches said one of the goals of the college's rebranding and expansion was to make it more accessible.

He said having a campus in Charlottetown creates more opportunities, especially for newcomers to enrol.

'I'm very happy'

Before 2016, the school's only campus was located in Wellington, P.E.I. 

Bintou Traoie said she held off on applying because travelling to Wellington wasn't an option for her. Now that there's a second campus she can study while living in Charlottetown with her family.

"I'm very happy because school was in Wellington, now it's in Charlottetown, it's a good idea to put in Charlottetown because a lot of immigrants are coming from everywhere … downtown is good, to get access is very easy."

Traoie is studying to become a bilingual educational assistant. She said she's happy that the Island has a French-language college because many people from Africa, Mexico and Brazil want to learn the language. 

"We have a lot of opportunity, because you never know where you want to go one day. You finish your skill in university and then you can get job in the government or you want to travel to get job … it's better to get a second language," she said.

International recruitment

DesRoches said efforts have also been made to recruit more international students. The school began recruiting from Mexico a few years ago and is now turning its sights to other countries.

"With a good base in Mexico we started over the last year, recruiting in Cameroon, so we have some students that are coming from Cameroon as well so that'll be kind of the students that are arriving internationally, will be from those two markets."

DesRoches said the college has also been working with the French Language School Board on the Island, to recruit local students. 

He said the college will also benefit from the Study and Stay program that aims to increase the number of international students who come to study here, and help them stay once they graduate. 

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