By Karen Birchard

A growing number of Canadian colleges are providing opportunities for their students to study abroad, and recruiting international students to their campuses, says a report based on a recent survey.

The report, by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, summarizes the findings of the first national survey of Canadian colleges, polytechnical institutes, and vocational institutions on their internationalization efforts.

Sixty percent of the 108 institutions polled say having an international aspect to their academic programs "prepares students to succeed in and contribute to global economy and develops international competencies in students." Almost 70 percent say they have offices dedicated to international work.

Almost all of the colleges plan to expand overseas recruitment, joint international partnerships, and study-abroad programs as well as increase campus exposure to global cultures.

But the respondents appear split on how they view students who come from outside Canada. Some consider them a valuable source of revenue, while others say recruiting international students is important because it "creates a vibrant and culturally diverse campus community."

Full-time international students make up 5.6 percent of the student population at the institutions surveyed.

While the number of foreign students is increasing, the numbers of Canadian students who travel abroad remains small.

"We were expecting it to be low, so it wasn't that surprising that only 1.1 percent of our Canadian students had occasion to study abroad," says Paul Brennan, who leads the international-partnerships division of the college association.

The group intends to survey its members on a regular basis to measure how such efforts develop.

"This report is a clarion call to figure out ways to increase our internationalization, especially studying abroad," says Mr. Brennan. "One area that we're looking at is sending more students abroad to work during their co-ops."

Co-ops, or cooperatives, are programs in which undergraduates alternate semesters taking classes on campus and working in jobs related to their studies.

Canadian colleges offer a variety of programs that are connected to employers.

Sometimes an academic focus on future employment can lead to a perception that it is difficult to study abroad, Mr. Brennan acknowledges: "Programs are shorter, more job-focused, and very often our learners are older with families."