More than 30 international students attending Red River College’s Language Training Centre Summer Institute put their language training into practice — and got a taste of Manitoba’s passion for sport — at this week’s 2017 Canada Summer Games women’s volleyball match between Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The students and instructors are in Winnipeg until Aug. 11, visiting from both the Shenyang Institute of Engineering in Liaoning, China, and the Shaanxi Polytechnic Institute in Shaanxi, China to enhance their English language skills.

“We are pleased to once again welcome international students and instructors to Red River College’s Summer Institute for the fifth year – most of whom are visiting Canada for the first time,” says RRC president Paul Vogt, himself a member of the 2017 Canada Summer Games Board of Directors.

“This program is essential to our continued work building relationships with educational institutions overseas and showcasing the bright future Red River College and the province of Manitoba can offer future international students.”

The focus of the Summer Institute is to balance fun and interactive classroom sessions at RRC with outings to some of the city’s most popular attractions, while helping students build confidence by using English in the classroom and in everyday situations. Since arriving in Winnipeg, students have visited RRC’s three campuses in Winnipeg, and enjoyed learning excursions to CF Polo Park, Assiniboine Park, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Canada Summer Games, and Folklorama.

The College’s partnership with the Shenyang Institute is one of its longest running, dating back 30 years. Nearly a decade ago, the two institutions signed a cooperative agreement to establish a joint diploma program, where students pursuing careers in the fields of electrical engineering, power engineering or hospitality management are given the opportunity to complete the final year of their studies at Red River College.

The Summer Institute was launched to allow students to experience and familiarize themselves with local language and culture before moving to Manitoba to pursue their studies.

“We are proud to celebrate five successful years of the Summer Institute, and to promote the Language Training Centre as one of the premier language training facilities in Canada,” says Vogt.

“Each year we hear students return home and share their positive experiences with classmates and instructors, and this encourages even more participation. We will continue to work with our international academic partners around the world to welcome prospective students to Red River College.”