Enriching the WIL ecosystem with five partners that empower equity-deserving and international students

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 7, 2023 /CNW/ - The Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) is pleased to announce five new work-integrated learning (WIL) partnerships. With generous support from the Government of Canada, leading Canadian employers and post-secondary institutions will increase access to work experience for equity-deserving and international students across Canada.

As part of BHER's commitment to ensuring that every post-secondary student in Canada gets access to WIL, we work closely with partners to support students who have traditionally faced unique barriers to accessing meaningful work experience, including Indigenous people, people with disabilities, visible minorities, minority language students, and international students.

More than 3,000 students will gain work experience in multiple sectors of Canada's economy, including healthcare, manufacturing, digital technology, hospitality, and more. A wide range of WILs, from traditional placements to innovative project-based learning, competitions, and remote work will allow small, medium, and large businesses across every region of Canada to access diverse early talent.

"The future is in our students. These partnerships will create over 3,360 opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience in high-demand sectors and our government is proud to support the next generation. These new work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities will help promote diversity and enhance the economy. I am excited to see the success of these partnerships, and the positive longstanding effects that this will have on Canada's workforce."

- The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

BHER is the only federally-funded delivery partner in Canada that creates WIL opportunities for international students. "We are proud to work with dedicated partners across the country to create quality WIL opportunities that foster diversity and strengthen Canada's economy," said Val Walker, CEO of BHER. "Canada faces increasing competition for talent, and engaging equity-deserving and international students is a key priority to address labour market needs. So too is retaining international talent after graduation. High quality WIL helps make that happen."

To date, BHER has delivered over 58,000 WIL opportunities in partnership with over 200 industry organizations and post-secondary institutions across the country, strengthening talent pipelines for Canadian employers.

Val Walker is available for media interviews. To schedule an interview, please contact [email protected].

Connect with our new partners:

• 1Mentor will collaborate with George Brown College, Capilano University, and the University of Waterloo to create up to 1,000 WIL experiences for international and equity-deserving students, and support these WIL students using artificial intelligence technology to provide personalized professional development.
  
  Media Contact: Diego Santos, [email protected]
  LinkedIn: @1mentor
  Website: https://www.1mentor.io/
  
  
• Centennial College will create 550 WIL experiences that connect equity-deserving and international students to local and global partners in a variety of industries, including the health care and social assistance, construction, and manufacturing sectors.
  
  Media Contact: Michelle Ervin, [email protected]
  LinkedIn: @centennialcollege
  Website: centennialcollege.ca
  
  
• Isempower will work with their national network of post-secondary partners, including York University and the University of Fraser Valley, to facilitate 670 WIL experiences that target international students aspiring to break into Canada's tech start-up ecosystem and digital economy.
  
  Media Contact: Arun Narang, [email protected]
  LinkedIn: @isempower
  Website: https://isempower.com/
  
  
• Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) has partnered with EnPoint, Dalhousie University, and other post-secondary institutions across Nova Scotia to support initiatives that ensure international students are ready to work in Nova Scotia after graduation, including 600 scaffolded WIL experiences.
  
  Media Contact: Katie Gordon, [email protected]
  LinkedIn: @nova-scotia-community-college-nscc
  Website : www.nscc.ca
  
  
• University of Ottawa will create 540 new WIL opportunities for francophone and anglophone international students that will provide meaningful opportunities to develop, complement, and reflect on the skills required for successful transition into the Canadian labour market.
  
  Media Contact: Isabelle Mailloux-Pulkinghorn, [email protected]
  LinkedIn: @uottawa
  Website: https://www.uottawa.ca/

SOURCE Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER)