This fall, for the first time ever, NIC will offer Chinese language courses, giving central Island residents access to the most widely-spoken language on the planet.
Two Chinese-Mandarin courses join Spanish and French as international languages available at NIC, giving residents the ability to conduct business effectively, travel confidently and bridge cultural barriers.
“Comox Valley students will now have the opportunity to become more culturally and internationally literate in a language spoken by more people as a native language than any other in the world,” said Mark Herringer, NIC’s Director of International Education.
NIC’s Spanish and French courses are already popular with business, tourism and humanities students, local residents, and international travellers. Given the influence of China globally, it makes sense there would also be significant demand for Chinese courses offered at NIC.
Mandarin is one of the most important languages on the West Coast and China has a growing economic and social influence in B.C. Since Beijing granted Canada Approved Destination Status in 2009, the number of Chinese visitors coming to B.C. has risen dramatically. In July 2014, the Business Council of British Columbia announced China has become BC’s second largest international tourism market, behind only the United States.
For more information on NIC programs visit www.nic.bc.ca