With breath-taking mountains, beaches and forests and vibrant cities, the province’s motto: ‘Beautiful British Columbia’ accurately reflects the sentiment across British Columbia. The combination of world-class educational establishments set in beautiful surroundings has ensured British Columbia has become a popular choice for students from Asia.

“With our proximity to Asia, temperate climate and stunning surroundings, we are able to offer students a great educational experience”, explains Patrick Dang, President of Sprott Shaw College. “We focus on teaching specific skills and offer flexible programs to suit each student’s career choice.”

Established in 1903, Sprott Shaw College offers rolling program start dates every month to ensure there is no waiting time for the majority of programs. The College also provides students with upgrading options and lifetime refresher training courses.

The College has over 110 programs categorized into five main groups: Trades, Business and Administration, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Child and Family Development Programs and Health and Community support. The Health Care Assistant program is one of the fastest growing programs and in 2008, Sprott Shaw College became the largest Practical Nursing Trainer in Canada.

Cooperative programs are available which provide international students with the opportunity to secure relevant work experience in Canada. ‘Pathway’ programs are also offered to help students who wish to complete diplomas or degrees, but have yet to meet entrance requirements.

“We believe in ‘learning with purpose,’ and provide industry-driven programs to ensure our graduates are successful in their chosen field”, says Dang. “Our advisors help students determine what industries are a good fit for their aptitude and interests.”

Having successfully established partnerships in Asia and recruited students from China, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam, Dang is reaching out to Singapore, Malaysia and the rest of Southeast Asia.

“As we expand our international footprint, we see opportunities within the Singaporean market,” he explains. “We want to establish partnerships with leading Universities, Colleges and agency networks in Singapore. With the right partners, we can further contribute to the development of our students and their future contribution to the global society”.

“Singapore’s status as a developed nation in the region and its utilization of E-commerce prompted us to start shipping directly to Singapore from our facility in Hong Kong,” he explains. “Singapore was our first export market and we have managed to gain a significant market share there after only a few years”.

The company sells its mobile-power solutions in Singapore through reseller’s websites such as www.battdepot.com/sg/ and delivers to both personal and institutional customers.

“Consumers usually buy batteries from device manufacturers or purchase lower-quality alternatives,” says Huen. “One of our competitive advantages is that we are the only branded battery in this particular niche segment of the industry. As an established Canadian brand with research and development facilities in Asia, customers can expect the highest quality products from us. Our products are manufactured in ISO:9001 certified facilities and our factory testing capabilities meet Conformité Européene/European Conformity (CE) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards. In addition, we have registered trademarks throughout our strategic markets, including Singapore.”

Dr. Power’s premium products include the ‘Advanced Pro Series’ laptop battery packs powered by the latest battery cell technology from Samsung SDI Li-ion. Dr. Power has also partnered with Leyden Energy Inc., a Silicon Valley research and development company and Boston-Power® for the ‘Green Series’ – batteries powered by next-generation lithium-ion battery technology. The company is driven to expand into environmentally-friendly energy product categories.

“Our mission is to continue to develop safe, cost-effective and environmentally friendly products”, says Huen. “We are also developing and marketing our high-quality LED lighting solutions under the brand name ‘Dr. Bulbs’ and our Power Assisted e-Bikes which are branded as ‘Dr. EBIKE’,”

With offices in the U.S., United Kingdom, France, Australia and Hong Kong, the company is strengthening its position as a leading brand in mobile-power solutions for portable electronic devices in strategic international markets.

“As a regional I.T. hub, Singapore remains an important market for us moving forward”, says Huen. “As E-commerce continues to develop in Southeast Asia, we fully intend to expand our footprint across the region.”

With Southeast Asia’s rapid economic growth, an increasing number of Asian companies and entrepreneurs are in a much stronger position to seek investment and business opportunities in North America. Xie is committed to supporting these entrepreneurs if the criteria are met as they apply to the Start-Up Visa Program.

Xie’s vision is to create positive economic impacts to the stakeholders, investors and local Canadian business communities.

“TRE is extremely interested in supporting innovative companies, startups and aspiring entrepreneurs to establish and expand their businesses in Canada,” said Xie.

TRE focuses on supporting new technologies and technical innovations, internet and IT related businesses with applications in a variety of industries.

TRE also plans to launch a private venture capital fund and establish a Canada-China startup business incubator.  Plans are in place between TRE and a global fund company.  This partnership will enable TRE to support startups through venture capital funding and create additional cooperation initiatives.

“We look forward to collaborating with partner companies in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China.  I see endless opportunities throughout the Pacific Rim.  We are determined to promote the ‘Spirit of Entrepreneurship’ and startups in North America by bridging North America to Asia,” concluded Xie.