We have been hearing that Canada's prosperity is tied to the growth of Asian nations. Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird has called it a "national imperative" that Canada assume a more active role in Asia and take advantage of economic opportunities.

Minister of International Trade Ed Fast recently unveiled Canada's new International Trade Plan - which has a heavy emphasis on Asia. It would seem that these opportunities would mean more jobs for young Canadians - especially those with Asia-related knowledge, skills and expertise. But is this the case? I spoke with many young, ambitious and smart Canadians who have done all the things that would constitute becoming "Asia competent": They have learned Asian languages, become familiar with Asian cultures and received on-theground experience in Asian countries. Yet, most felt that jobs in which they could utilize these skills in Canada were virtually non-existent.

To explore the validity of their perception, I talked with employees of the B.C. government, a former deputy minister of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, consultants and advisers on Asia, a former business school dean and employees of large Canadians companies doing business in Asia. These discussions yielded one important theme: that Canadian companies do not yet recognize Asia competence because of their continued focus and reliance on business with the U.S. A study done in 2012 found that 39 per cent of Canadian businesses relied on trade with the U.S., compared to 16 per cent with Asia. It is much easier and less risky to look to our traditional trading partner than to enter new, unknown markets that require a steep learning curve. Asia's economy is forecast to grow twice as fast as the European Union's. Some of the risk of entering into new markets can be mitigated by educating ourselves about the region, and still yield high reward. When speaking with employees working with companies doing business in Asia, they stated that understanding Asian business culture (whether that's Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, etc.) is one of the most important elements to being successful. The first step in this process can be to hire Asia-competent Canadians.

Many young Canadians have experience living and working in an Asian country and have gained insights into how their Asian counterparts work, as well as insights into how foreigners are treated in that environment. Unfortunately, this knowledge and these skills are generally not recognized once that person returns to Canada.

The argument against hiring these returnees has often been that they lack knowledge of business environments. But most are eager to learn and adapt to the new work environment - just like for any job. Ben Tipton, a graduate of the Masters of Asia Pacific Policy program at the University of British Columbia, has experience working in policy, as well as in fair trade in Southeast Asia, but has not been able to find a full-time position in Canada where his skills and knowledge can be utilized. When asked why he thought that was, he said it might be due to his lack of a business degree, regardless of his experience working in business in Asia and his expertise in policy.

Mark Bennett, who graduated with a degree in International Relations and Asian Studies, and who has experience studying and working in South Korea, also found it difficult to find a suitable position. He went back to school to become an accountant. Even though he needed the "hard skills" to become an accountant, he said the skills and knowledge from his arts degree were invaluable when interacting with his Asian clients, and for the interpersonal and intercultural communication skills he gained.

There are also students and graduates who haven't been able to afford going abroad or those who are concerned that leaving Canada would cut off their networks here. To resolve this, internships or other work placements (such as co-op positions) can be set up. The result would be a young Canadian with work experience, sharpened intercultural communication skills and a larger, international network of business partners.

Michael Goldberg, the former dean of UBC's Sauder School of Business, ranked international business graduates to be "barely a 3" on a scale of 1 to 5 when it came to Asia or global competence, even though they had just graduated from a reputable international business program.

He identified institutional caveats, such as faculty lacking Asia or international experience and the distinction between language "in use" and language "class" - with language "in use" not always being recognized by academic institutions.

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada recently released the Asia Competence Task Force, which looks further into what can be done to better equip Canadians with Asia competence. It found that Canadians are currently ill-equipped to take advantage of the opportunities that will be coming from the region.

Schools, government and business need to recognize the great importance of Asia to Canada. Asia will account for half of global GDP by 2050, but Canadians won't reap any benefits unless changes are enacted now.

Asia's growth is not a trend and is not going away. Knowing more about the region will help Canadians economically, politically and socially. If we don't act now, then we will be left behind.

Christine Park is a program assistant at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. She has travelled, lived and worked in Asia and has a degree in international relations and Asian languages and culture.