Advancing Standards of Practice and Integrity in Recruitment for Education (ASPIRE)
Spring 2025
Members $395 | Non-members $545
Registration Available Soon!
Training Overview
The ASPIRE Training Program aims to elevate the standards and integrity of student recruitment in the Canadian context. Immigration advising in Canada, including advice about study permits, is regulated to ensure prospective students receive accurate and ethical guidance. This training program is designed to provide participants with foundational knowledge about the Canadian regulatory framework, while also offering tools and strategies for effectively supporting prospective students within a prescribed scope of practice.
Intended Audience
This online training is designed for any individual involved in recruiting or supporting international students within the Canadian education system, including but not limited to:
- Education agents, counsellors, or recruitment partners
- Institutional staff in the areas of international recruitment, marketing, admissions and enrolment or student services
- Managers or senior leaders in international education
Learning Objectives
Through the ASPIRE training program, participants will be equipped with knowledge and tools to provide high-quality, compliant advice, further enhancing the success and satisfaction of prospective students. Specifically, upon the completion of the program, participants will:
- Learn to distinguish when their role crosses into that of a regulated consultant (lawyer, RCIC or RISIA), ensuring compliance with Canadian regulations.
- Identify important qualifications, considerations, and requirements that potential students must possess to successfully study in Canada.
- Gain insight on how to offer guidance to prospective students in preparing study plans.
- Understand the key policies and processing factors that lead to study permit refusals by IRCC.
- Learn how to avoid common pitfalls that lead to refusals.
- Gain resources to remain up-to-date regarding immigration programs, education, and immigration opportunities in Canada
Program Delivery
This program is facilitated by qualified instructors who hold an RCIC or RISIA designation. During three online workshops (two hours each) the instructor will guide participants through the material, moderate discussion and case-study activities, and facilitate peer-to-peer learning. Additional resources will be available through CBIE’s online learning platform.
Schedule
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Certificate of Completion
Certificates of completion will be awarded to those who successfully complete the program. To receive the certificate, participants are expected to attend all three virtual workshops and actively engage in a group project in the final module of the course.
Facilitators
Lisa Griffin Ndour - CEO, LGN Services; Immigration Lead, CBIE (RCIC)
For more than a decade, Lisa Griffin Ndour has dedicated her career to helping international students and newcomers to make New Brunswick their home. Fully bilingual, she’s worked at all levels to help immigrants navigate the immigration world and help them settle into her community. This has included working and volunteering with local immigrants’ settlement agencies, as a provincial immigration officer, as an international student advisor, and, most recently, as Manager of International Mobility and Student Services at the Université de Moncton. As an RCIC, she is also the CEO of LGN Services where she manages a series of immigration-related projects with numerous post-secondary institutions as well as the ISIEP-PEIEI program at CBIE. In addition to her professional expertise, Lisa brings her insight and perspective to several regional and national volunteer boards, including CBIE, and the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council.
Shawna Luey - Senior Director, International Students, Niagara College (RISIA)
Shawna has worked in international education for over 15 years growing her career from intern to International Student Advisor to Associate Director of International Student Services. She is currently the Associate Registrar at Niagara College. Throughout her career, she has focused on the individual needs of students practicing intercultural competence as a RISIA. In addition to her work leading her team at Niagara College, she has instructed at Niagara College and Queen’s University. Most recently, she served a term as a member of the CBIE Immigration Advisory Committee.
Jean Lomas - Manager, International Student Advising, University of Victoria (RCIC)
With over a decade of experience in international education, Jean has a keen interest in the interplay between immigration policy, institutional policy, and international students’ daily realities. Her passion for international education stems from her experience as an international graduate student in Ireland, and she has since had the privilege to work with students and educators at both the college and university levels. In her current role as Manager, International Student Advising at the University of Victoria, Jean leads a team of professionals helping international students and their families navigate the complexities of immigration policy and supporting them with settlement resources. Jean holds a BA from the University of Victoria and an MA from University College Cork. She has been an RCIC since 2014.
