Nine new innovative partnerships that will bring work-integrated learning to employers and students left out of traditional placements

OTTAWA, ON, April 29, 2024 /CNW/ - The Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) is pleased to announce nine new work-integrated learning (WIL) partnerships. Thanks to generous support from the Government of Canada, post-secondary institutions and industry organizations will be able to use innovative approaches to increase access to experiential learning for students and employers often left out of traditional WIL.

These new partnerships will create 5,000 WIL opportunities that are more flexible and accessible than traditional placement-based internships or co-ops. Innovative WILs are especially beneficial for small- and medium-sized employers and rural businesses, which have capacity and resource challenges when hiring students. They also serve students who are underrepresented in WIL, including students in Arts, Indigenous students, students in remote communities, and students with time or financial barriers to traditional placements.

"With this partnership with BHER, our government is creating opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience that is both flexible and adaptable for Canada's next-generation work force. By providing alternatives to traditional learning placements, such as industry projects and telework alternatives, Canadian businesses and employers will have a greater access to a diversified talent pool. Our government will continue to invest in innovative solutions to connect students and employers to strengthen Canada's productivity."

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

"Innovative approaches to WIL, like industry projects, bootcamps, micro-credentialing, virtual reality, and more, help close the gap for students and employers who aren't able to do traditional WIL," says Val Walker, CEO of BHER. "These new partnerships play a key role in BHER and the Government of Canada's commitment to ensuring 100% WIL for every post-secondary student in Canada."

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.

To schedule an interview with BHER, please contact [email protected]. 

• ECO Canada will deliver a series of net-zero bootcamps and other programming tailored to the regionally specific concerns of Quebec, Yukon, and PEI, aimed at attracting young green talent to these regions.
  
  Media Contact: Aaron Wilson, [email protected] 
  LinkedIn: @ecocanada
  Website: https://eco.ca/
  
  
• Georgian College is partnering with the Barrie Chamber of Commerce to develop a model for small- to medium-sized employers to create rural WILs, Participating employers will achieve a Changemaker Workplace designation.
  
  Media Contact: Lauren Wild, [email protected] 
  LinkedIn: @georgiancollege
  Website: https://www.georgiancollege.ca/
  
  
• Hamilton Chamber of Commerce will build a new consortium with McMaster University and Mohawk College that empowers local small- and medium-sized employers to create 210 WIL opportunities and expand future capacity for WIL.
  
  Media Contact: Mike Hardill, [email protected]
  LinkedIn: @hamilton-chamber-of-commerce
  Website: https://www.hamiltonchamber.ca/
  
  
• Lambton College is partnering with long-term care homes and stakeholders across Ontario to create a standardized onboarding and micro-credential training program for 1,500 students.
  
  Media Contact: Jamie Kloet, [email protected]
  LinkedIn: /school/lambton-college-sarnia/
  Website: https://www.lambtoncollege.ca/
  
  
• McMaster University is partnering with the Casualty Actuarial Society - Ontario Branch to deliver the Actuarial Career Test Drive Program, which will provide students with the opportunity to solve real-world problems with real data submitted by insurance companies.
  
  Media Contact: Danielle Gallant, [email protected]
  LinkedIn: mcmaster-faculty-of-science/
  Website: https://www.mcmaster.ca/
  
  
• Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech) aims to increase Indigenous student participation across all WIL programs through enhanced support to employers, facilitating more active employer involvement in WIL.
  
  Media Contact: Emily Doer, [email protected]
  LinkedIn: @red-river-college
  Website: https://www.rrc.ca/
  
  
• TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario is partnering with Fanshawe College, Huron University College, and the London Chamber of Commerce to connect students to local small- and medium-sized employers through curricular industry projects.
  
  Media Contact: Farida Abdelnabi, [email protected]
  LinkedIn: /company/techalliance-of-southwestern-ontario/
  Website: https://www.techalliance.ca/
  
  
• Wavemakers, in partnership with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Wilfrid Laurier University, and other post-secondary institutions across Canada, will deliver 1,200 WILs using Wavemakers' cutting-edge virtual reality platform.
  
  Media Contact: Sabrina Bellissimo, [email protected]
  LinkedIn: /school/wavemakersnetwork/
  Website: https://www.wavemakers.network/en/home
  
  
• Work in Culture will partner with the University of Toronto Scarborough's Arts Management programs to provide curricular WIL experiences to 350 undergraduate arts students designed to help them navigate a wide range of career options.
  
  Media Contact: Naomi Stokes, [email protected]
  LinkedIn: /company/workinculture
  Website: https://workinculture.ca/

SOURCE Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER)