Come to northern British Columbia for its affordable education and transferrable credits, stay for its small communities and big landscapes – at least, that’s the message the B.C. government is using to sell the region’s postsecondary schools.
The new StudyNorthBC.ca campaign is attempting to recruit students to northern B.C.’s four institutes of higher learning, including the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, under the tagline “Opportunity, lifestyle and adventure.” The website traffics heavily in images of outdoor activity set against mountain views and crystal-clear lakes, with information on the region available in five languages. The photos continue on the campaign’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts, but there they are supplemented by stories from students and data on the region’s job market.
The campaign was produced by the Northern Post-Secondary Council, led by the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training and the presidents of the four postsecondary institutions. The province contributed nearly $350,000 to the project’s budget of $500,000.
At a launch last fall, Melanie Mark, minister of advanced education, said the campaign responds to dwindling student numbers in the region. “As citizens of B.C., we invest in these institutions. We want to make sure they are at full capacity,” she said.