A large number of Canadian universities will be taking part in the upcoming International Exhibition & Conference on Higher Education (IECHE) next month, according to a top official at the Canadian Embassy in Riyadh.

The embassy, he said, would invite current and former Saudi students of Canadian education institutions to share stories as part of an online YouTube initiative in the lead up to the upcoming IECHE education conference.

As many as 16,000 Saudi students including 1,000 medical residents are studying in Canada, a sector that reflects the long standing relationship between Canada and Saudi Arabia.

The embassy will recognize the most popular video submission and the winning video will be announced on April 15, 2015 at the IECHE education conference.

“Saudi alumni who have completed all or a portion of their studies in Canada at a university, college or language school are invited to share their experiences through short videos” he said.

Interested students and alumni can submit a video discussing learning activities, research facilities, faculty, student clubs, accomplishments, friendships and, of course, the Canadian city where studies were accomplished and travels around Canada.

He said the YouTube initiative is an opportunity to share experiences and allow others Saudi students considering studying in Canada to benefit from alumni experience and learn more about Canada.

In addition to a growing number of partnerships between Canadian and Saudi universities, two Canadian colleges operate in Saudi Arabia: Algonquin College in Jizan and Niagara College in Taif.

In 2014, Canada was pleased to host the first cohort of Saudi Globalink Research Interns, a program that sees top-ranked undergraduate applicants complete 12-week internships under the supervision of the science, engineering, math, humanities and social science faculties.