New work-integrated learning resources help employers and community partners better navigate working with students
For immediate release - September 1, 2021
Co-op student or intern? Service learning or field placement? When it comes to working with students, it can all sound like a co-op placement to a potential employer or community partner.
Thanks to new resources from Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada, employers and community partners can better understand the ways they can engage the talents and work with university and college students.
The resources, which include a series of brief videos and easy-to-read write-ups, explain nine forms of work-integrated learning opportunities recognized by CEWIL, including co-op terms, internships, apprenticeships, and service learning. They have been written for the industry to clarify expectations, articulate deliverables, frame the timelines for each opportunity, and provide examples and best practices.
“Historically, the co-op model has been well defined, but some of the other work-integrated learning options are completely unknown to many,” said Dan Lonergan, CEWIL’s Associate Director of Partnerships. “These resources are meant to act as a starting point — an internal brainstorming session — of what can be possible through student talent. They are tools to begin the conversation internally, and then reach out to institutions to ask about opportunities and possibilities.”
In addition to helping employers and community partners understand the ways they can work with students, the hope is the resources will enable organizations to recognize additional opportunities to tap into the talents of Canada’s post-secondary students, explained Cara Krezek, CEWIL President.
“It’s important to remember that no one form of work-integrated learning addresses 100 per cent of a partner’s needs all the time,” Krezek said. “Therefore, it’s equally important to provide additional context when it comes to the nine types of work-integrated that CEWIL recognizes, and help our employer and community partners get to a place where they know what’s possible through engaging with student talent. I hope that in watching these videos or reading these documents, employers and community partners will want to engage with multiple types of work-integrated learning and even multiple institutions.”
The free resources are available on CEWIL Canada's website and Youtube channel. Post-secondary institutions throughout Canada can also link to them on their own websites to assist industry partners in the hiring process.
The videos and write-ups were produced in partnership with Magnet, a digital platform founded at Ryerson University, partnering with education, government, technology, and community services to support Canadians with inclusive growth in today’s changing labour market.
"Work-integrated learning programs are a great way for companies to explore new ideas, access short-term support for day-to-day tasks, and connect with early talent,” said Mark Patterson, Magnet Executive Director. “Small and medium-sized businesses, however, may not have the resources to develop a comprehensive work-integrated learning program or research the many placement types available. We partnered with CEWIL to create this collection of resources to help those employers better understand the benefits and characteristics of each type of work-integrated learning, and get a clearer idea of which one works best for them."
About CEWIL Canada
CEWIL Canada's mission is to build the capacity to develop future-ready students and graduates through quality work-integrated learning.
Since 1973, CEWIL Canada members from post-secondary institutions across the country have worked in partnership to develop resources to promote the highest quality of post-secondary work-integrated learning programs. This is achieved through a national forum of professional WIL practitioners by establishing national standards and promoting the value of post-secondary work-integrated learning and by delivering opportunities for learning and sharing of best practices.
About Magnet
Magnet is a digital social innovation platform founded at Ryerson University. Through the Magnet Network, our mission is to accelerate inclusive economic growth for all in Canada by advancing careers, businesses and communities.
The Magnet Network includes all relevant stakeholders involved in fostering economic growth and opportunity, including community partners, employers, post-secondary job boards, and job seekers across Canada. Magnet’s intelligent job matching technology connects job seekers to opportunities and helps businesses find relevant and timely growth opportunities.
For more information, contact:
Dan Lonergan, Associate Director - Partnerships
[email protected]