A delegation of 12 Canadian universities will fly into Shanghai for face-to-face interviews with local postgraduate applicants next month.

Engineering majors are a focus of their interest because engineers are urgently needed in the Canadian job market, interview organizers said yesterday.

The delegation this year consists of renowned institutions such as Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, University of Windsor, and Memorial University of Newfoundland.

About 500 to 600 postgraduate places are set aside for Chinese students, of which about 150 are engineering majors, according to Can-Zhong International Education, the interview organizer.

"Thanks to Canada's booming economic development in recent years, the country appears to be thirsty for engineers in the sectors of urban development, environment, gas and petroleum, and computers," said Frank Wang, Can-Zhong's president.

For instance, the Canadian province of Alberta alone needs 48,000 engineering professionals each year. Annual income for engineering graduates reached 130,000 Canadian dollars (US$132,730) on average.

For the first time, Memorial University of Newfoundland, which specializes in engineering, will offer admission scholarships to applicants.

About 10 percent to 15 percent of students will be able to earn the scholarship of 2,000 to 5,000 Canadian dollars, Can-Zhong said.

International engineering graduates can apply for a professional engineer's license at no cost in Ontario, another Canadian province.

(Shanghai Daily October 17, 2007)