Fleming College

Guest blog post by Project Management student Joao Borges.

Peterborough Immigration Partnership (PIP) is an organization that provides a coordinated approach to immigrant integration in Peterborough, Ont. On Thursday, February 20, 2020, PIP held its annual general meeting. This year’s theme was the attraction and retention of international students, specifically through education and entrepreneurship.

I was thrilled to be one of the speakers in the discussion panel, “Global Education, Local Impact: How 2 International students have made their mark as Peterborough entrepreneurs.” 

We exchanged unique perspectives regarding the resources our community provides to assist with the integration and career development of newcomers. I spoke about how Fleming College provided me with the business knowledge and hands-on experiences to succeed as an entrepreneur with the Paper Planter project; how I was able to leverage Fleming’s resources and connections to engage with community partners; and how Fleming’s community involvement is important to attract and retain talent, generating economic prosperity.

If there is one outcome we agreed on, it is for sure that Peterborough has a strong sense of collaboration and community members are passionate to help others make educated decisions. This provides an environment for Fleming students to use their skills to generate economic, social, and sustainable impact.

I also thoroughly enjoy learning about important community change-makers. It was a proud moment to see strong Fleming College representation and, as a former student worker at Fleming International Student Services, it was interesting to re-explore the work our staff is doing to support integration and retention of skilled talent into our community.

Tracey McConnery, Manager of English Programs & International Student Services, provided us with a presentation about the important role that Fleming is playing in providing resources to international students by collaborating with important community partners, such as the New Canadians Centre, Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, and Community Futures Peterborough to name a few.

Being part of this event was an awesome experience. Besides the network and exchange of ideas, I was proud to see Fleming College actively engaging with community stakeholders, and fulfilling its mission of becoming true partners in the community.