This session provides an overview, results, and findings from the award-winning Study and Stay™ - Nova Scotia program. Over the past seven years, the Study and Stay™ - Nova Scotia program has supported more than 500 students representing more than 60 different nationalities. The program has successfully retained an average of 86% of the graduates in Nova Scotia one year post-graduation. Program alumni have started their careers in meaningful jobs aligned with their study plans and are thriving as new Nova Scotians. This session offers a review of the tools and practices employed successfully to support international students’ transition into the workplace using an eight-pillar approach.

During the implementation of this program, we experienced a global pandemic, and the world has changed inextricably in a plethora of ways, many of which we do not yet understand. This session will provide an overview of what students, alumni and employers are reporting has changed and, as a result, how the support they need now need has changed. This session will also provide an overview of the new Study and Stay CONNECT program launched this year, including the Foundations and Entrepreneurship streams and the new methods and approaches incorporated based on lessons learned from the past seven years of the program. We will explore how best to respond to new and evolving challenges in student-centred services and programs for diverse populations in a rapidly changing, pandemic-affected global environment.