Today marks a significant milestone for our company as we rebrand from Isempower to “Wayble”, representing “Way” + “Able”.
Our journey officially began in August 2021 to “empower international students” when we recognized the hardship of international students studying & living abroad, having their dreams unfulfilled and a big gap in the international education ecosystem that is truly in need of disruption. Over the past 2.5 years, I have been working alongside Ramneet Brar, Co-founder & COO, and the team to identify the gaps in the international student ecosystem, figuring out what contributes to the “success” of their study abroad journey and how the ecosystem partners like higher education institutions and employers can collaborate to foster international student success. While our mission has remained the same since day one, our vision is now much bigger.
The #1 reason why any international student decides to study abroad is the hope for a better life & career outcome. However, aside from foundation needs like financial stability, safe & affordable accommodation, & well-being, the #1 concern we hear from international students is “employment” which determines their “success outcome” of studying abroad. While, Canada remains the fastest-growing country in the international student population due to its friendly work & immigration programs for international students, over 56% of international students report that they are facing challenges in securing meaningful employment. In fact, 70% of new immigrants, international students included, are underemployed and earn 20% less than their domestic counterparts. While countries around the world are in need of great quality talents like international students to fill the labour shortage, the gap from education to workforce remains large and even larger for international students. This gap combined with the high cost of living, the competitive housing market, and the loneliness of being alone in a new country make studying abroad extremely challenging and success doesn’t come easy. We asked ourselves “why this is happening” and the answer is
There’s a limited infrastructure to support international students to succeed in the new country
As we work with 29 higher education institutions, 200+ employers, and over 70,000 international students in our network, we discovered whitespace in a support system available for international students from post-arrival settlement to workforce & immigration, and how disconnected each part of the journey is. While some institutions are implementing substantial strategies & programs to support international students, many institutions lack the infrastructure & resources to support international students outside of academic programs.
Let’s recognize that international students have unique needs as they navigate the foreign land, culture, and environment. They often embark on this journey alone at a young age which can be extremely lonely & challenging. From navigating settling down in a new country, finding friends & mentors, getting adjusted to be proficient in the new culture & language, securing employment, navigating the immigration programs, and finding resources they need to succeed, many international students are left vulnerable and often in a disadvantageous position. On top of the complex system, students have to navigate through, we know that each international student’s journey is very different, someone who arrives in the country for a bachelor’s degree vs. a student who is pursuing post-graduate programs with prior work experience, both of their journeys are completely different and require different personalized services to meet them where they are. Without a proper technology infrastructure, it is impossible to meet the needs of each international students & graduates at scale. Sadly, this problem of international students not being able to achieve their dreams abroad does not only exist in Canada but in any other countries in the world with high populations of international students like the UK, Australia, and the United States.
As the Canadian higher education industry navigates the international student cap, it is more crucial than ever for institutions to differentiate their positionings beyond providing quality education but also ensuring that their standards in supporting international students are recognized through the new “recognized institution framework”, ensuring the students’ success outcomes and showing a true return on investment.
We believe that every international student deserves an opportunity to build a thriving life & career in a new country and that the ecosystem needs an infrastructure to service international students holistically, helping higher education institutions raise standards in supporting international students from day one to beyond graduation at scale and ensuring their success outcomes.
As we embark on the new chapter of “Wayble”, we represent the international student’s way to success under the concept of “Way” + “Able”. Our mission is to be the way for international students to thrive in a new country, creating endless possibilities beyond borders.
In January 2024, we launched a new “international student success software” for higher education institutions. The platform enables higher education institutions to scale holistic in-country support & services for their growing population of international students, focusing on measurable student success outcomes.
Our white-labelled cloud-based technology acts as the higher education institutions’ infrastructure to champion international student success. The platform and algorithm match international students & graduates with top internships and new grad roles from hundreds of partner employers, connect them with a supportive community, mentors & alumni, and provide personalized on-demand resources from careers, immigration, wellness, settlement, and everything they need to succeed from day one to beyond graduation. The system was built to ensure that institutions have full administrative ability to monitor and manage international students throughout the lifecycle and track & report student engagement and employment outcomes.
Wayble has over 200+ employers in the partnership that want to hire international students & graduates, the company works with 29 higher education institutions to share jobs & resources and is rolling out the new “international student success software” to its network of partner institutions. In January 2024, Wayble formed a partnership with Business Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) with support from the Government of Canada to create work-integrated learning opportunities for international students and is on track to help 630+ international students by the end of 2024.
My mission to help international students succeed won’t stop in Canada but to help every student find their way to endless possibilities anywhere in the world. As more international students continue to study & live abroad, the industry needs innovation to ensure sustainable student success outcomes. Wayble is excited to be a part of the solution to help international students thrive in a new country, anywhere in the world.
The Wayble journey would not have been possible without the support from investors, partners, and supporters like Word Education Services, Tangentia Ventures, several impact angel investors, partner institutions & employers, and non-profit organizations nationwide who believe in our mission to help international students thrive. As a former international student myself, I’m beyond thankful for your support and belief in our mission.
If you are working at a higher education institution and are looking for technology to raise support standards for your international students, please get in touch with us to learn more about our new software.
If you are an employer or service provider partner who is looking to provide job opportunities & resources to international students & graduates nationwide, please get in touch to learn more about possible partnership opportunities.
Pat Chaisang
Founder & CEO
