In the USA, Canada, Australia, and EU countries, there are two types of colleges. The first is separate subdivisions within universities. Graduating from such a college usually becomes the first step on the long path to a bachelor's degree. The second type is independent professional educational institutions (also called further education colleges). Each type of college has its own specifics.
Diploma after diploma…
Educational schemes in most countries are standard: up to age 16, study in secondary school, then an exam for a certificate roughly equivalent to our certificate of completion of nine grades of secondary school. Then, over two to three years, in-depth study of certain subjects at school is possible, and after passing exams at the appropriate level, admission to college.
Most public and private colleges allow you to sequentially progress from secondary vocational education to higher education. That is, first obtain a professional certificate (diploma), then an advanced diploma, then bachelor's and master's degrees. A diploma is awarded after one and a half to two years of study at college, an advanced diploma after two and a half to three years.
In the UK and Canada, there is a whole network of colleges designed for the phased acquisition of secondary vocational education (Fanshawe College and Seneca College in Ontario, Mancunia College in Manchester, etc.). All programs are aimed at training qualified personnel for work in various fields, from construction to banking. Importantly, you can start working in your chosen specialty at any stage, but only in accordance with the already confirmed qualification.
From school to profession
Further education colleges, community colleges, and vocational schools (Falkirk College, Langside College in the UK, Montgomery County Community College in the USA, etc.) adhere to an even more utilitarian approach. You can enroll there as early as age 16. Education there is also multi-level and does not preclude further study at a university. But the main goal of training is to develop students' professional skills and "sell" them to employers on the best terms. Therefore, many further education colleges do not issue diplomas to graduates at all. Instead, the acquired skills are confirmed through qualification exams, divided in accordance with the educational process into several stages: from simple to complex.
Most foreign colleges accept international students on a fee-paying basis. According to Dmitry Mirzoyan, Marketing Director of the York Group, obtaining vocational education abroad has a number of advantages compared to internship programs. First, colleges provide the opportunity to acquire a basic profession "from scratch." Second, it is easier to arrange a professional internship for such graduates.
Choose wisely
As practice shows, domestic students applying to foreign colleges are mainly interested in economic programs (marketing, management, accounting), as well as courses related to the hospitality, fashion, and design industries. Such is the "pulse" of the domestic labor market. But in reality, the possibilities of colleges are much broader. Here is a brief list of specialties in demand abroad that have been unfairly overlooked: ecology, secretarial work, administration, web design, tourism, journalism, pedagogy, computer technology, engineering, culinary arts.
For example, Seneca College, considered the largest public college of secondary vocational education in Canada, offers students a choice of 250 specialties! And Martin College, one of Australia's leading colleges, specializes in training professionals in business, computer technology, and graphic design.
In France, foreigners are especially attracted to programs in cooking and winemaking, as well as schools of tourism and hotel management. For instance, the Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Fran aise in Paris trains chefs over two years. Students study two languages (English and French), restaurant management, and cooking itself. A special discipline, terroir, is devoted to researching and comparing the quality of products from different regions.
In recent years, there has been growing demand for social professions (nurses, educators, caregivers, etc.). Training in these specialties is offered by many further education colleges in the UK. One of the most popular English secondary vocational education programs is gardening. By the way, landscape design in Moscow is gaining increasing popularity, so the profession of gardener and landscape architect is also in growing demand here.
The duration of study at most foreign colleges is comparable to domestic vocational schools: one to three years, but the requirements for students are much stricter.
What to present at the entrance
In most countries, entrance exams for college are not required. But there are several mandatory conditions for admission: a school diploma with good grades, excellent command of the English language. Our students are often also required to complete preliminary training in a preparatory department (from two to three months to a year).
If your English level leaves much to be desired, it's not a problem: all public colleges and most private ones have language preparation courses. But overall, language proficiency requirements in colleges are lower than in universities (for example, in the USA – IELTS 4.0-5.0 depending on the program, compared to the university requirement of 7.0). If you are going to study not in an English-speaking country, but, say, in Switzerland, France, Italy, it is advisable to already know at least one European language well at the start.
Earn credits!
Each course at a college (or vocational school) gives the student a certain number of credits or credit hours. Usually, this corresponds to the number of actual hours per subject that the student spent in the classroom in one week. Passing a test at the end of the course also counts as credits (or credit units). To obtain a certificate or diploma in the chosen specialty, a certain number of credit units must be earned. For example, in the USA, one course in one subject 'costs' from three to five credits, and about five such courses are taken during a semester. The number of credits required for a certificate is determined depending on the specialty and the specifics of training at a particular college.
The minimum duration of study after which you can obtain a document confirming your qualification also depends on the country and chosen specialty. For example, Canada's Vancouver Premier College, which trains hotel business specialists, offers the opportunity to get a certificate after one semester, a diploma with specialization after five semesters, and a diploma with specialization and a paid internship after six semesters.
Intermediaries are appropriate
It is not always easy to find a suitable college right away on the Internet. Moreover, there is significantly less available information about secondary vocational education abroad than about universities and language courses. Therefore, to avoid guessing and wasting time, it makes sense to contact educational agencies. There you will get detailed information about the country you are interested in and the existing college system. Some companies have agreements with colleges for initial testing of applicants, determining the level of language proficiency, which greatly simplifies the admission procedure.
But before going to an educational agency, decide what your goal is: to master a profession in the shortest possible time that is in demand both on the domestic and international labor markets, or to 'enter from the back door' into a foreign university.
Expert opinion
Vyacheslav Lychagin, director of the company 'Global Dialogue':
– If you intend to study in a professional college program (similar to our secondary vocational education), it is best to prefer Canada and the USA. Firstly, it is easier to get study visas for these countries now, especially for the USA. Secondly, the multi-level system of vocational education adopted in these countries allows you to get a certificate after one year, and a diploma after two years. Many Canadians and Americans follow this scheme – they start by obtaining a certificate, then go to work in their specialty and, having saved up money, continue their studies at a university.
Another interesting feature of education in Canada and the USA is community colleges (city colleges) with a two-year program. Their training is sponsored by city or county authorities, and therefore it costs two to three times cheaper than at a university or private college. For our students, this is a good opportunity to save money (after community college, if desired, you can immediately enter the third year of university).
Mostly, people go to college to study as economists, managers, administrators, legal assistants, designers, photographers, hairdressers. But the specific point is that our students often go to foreign colleges not after school, but based on already existing secondary vocational or higher education (to gain new skills or improve qualifications). Such students are indeed not inclined to long-term university-style studies. However, school graduates still prefer to go into higher education programs, and even if they first enter college, they later continue to a bachelor's degree.