NC ushers in the month of March with an added focus on co-op and work-integrated learning.
A roster of student-focused initiatives are lined up to celebrate Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL)’s National Co-op and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Month, which aims to promote awareness across Canada during the month of March, including the inaugural National Day of WIL on March 24.
“It is important for Niagara College to continue to be active in the national movement and to promote all-around advantages that co-op opportunities and WIL provide – not for only postsecondary students but for our community partners, businesses and organizations,” said Dina Fox, associate director of Student Engagement, Academic Advisement and Career Services. “It is our role to educate and assist in formalizing and monitoring these connections for our students and our many stakeholders.
“Especially in times where traditional opportunities may be impacted and limited, as we have seen over the last year, the competitive advantages and gains need to be spoken to even more.”
Today marks the first day of National Co-op & WIL Month! Join us in using #innovativeWIL throughout the month as we continue to build the capacity for work-integrated learning opportunities in Canada! Check out the toolkit here – t.co/235fmiSCOi pic.twitter.com/PsV3CNvlqg
— CEWIL Canada (@CEWILCanada) March 1, 2021
Weekly contest
A weekly contest will kick off during the second week of March to promote the initiative among the student body. Each week, EAC will post students a new question around the topic, which will be sent to students through their weekly engagement email, along with a link to submit their response. Students will be asked to fill out a short form and prizes will be drawn every Friday. Questions include:
- March 8: To students heading out on a co-op, placement, internship, what are you doing to get prepared for your co-op opportunity;
- March 15: To students who have completed a co-op, placement, internship, give one piece of advice to students who still need to complete their co-op, internship, placement; and
- March 24: Co-op/WIL Bingo will run on the official National Day of WIL.
Winners will have the opportunity to share their photo using a dedicated co-op/WIL photo frame.
Podcast Series
The CSEL’s podcast series, Go to College They Said, will highlight members of NC’s alumni community who will share their advice and experience with current students.
Confirmed speakers to date include Premier’s Award winner David Pratt, crop system specialist for Damatex Control Systems, who graduated from the Greenhouse Technician program in 2007; and Janine Young, strategic sourcing analyst for the Niagara Health System, who is an alumna of the Business Administration program (2018).
National Co-op and WIL Month episodes will kick off on March 5 and will continue through the month. Episodes are released every Friday and are available on Spotify and the Apple Podcasts app.
Student Workshops
CSEL is also hosting several workshops for students.
On March 16, 10 a.m. An Interview Preparation Session will teach students how to prepare for online or in-person interviews (hosted by Marsha Fiorino).
On March 23, at 3 p.m., an Essential Skills Workshop will help simplify the challenging task of skills identification. Students will learn to identify skills they did not know they had, recognize the ways they transfer into their academics, and incorporate them into their job search and career development. They will also find out how to access resources to continue their skills recognition as they complete their academic career (hosted by Julie Stuart).
On March 25, at 10 a.m. a Connect the Dots Volunteer to Career will show students how to recognize, highlight and speak to their experiences from outside the world of formal work. Mastering this will help them to be better prepared to speak to employers and highlight the vast and valuable skills they have and how they can translate into job success (hosted by Dana Brown).
Details about all activities/workshops will be posted to the MyCareer Calendar.
Continued support for students
Fox noted that the College’s Engagement, Academic Advising & Career Services (EAC), extends beyond the month of March. In fact, EAC promotes co-op and WIL opportunities from the beginning of a student’s journey at NC – from onboarding and student transition programming, starting with KickSTART. Their goal is to ensure that students understand how advantageous it is to expand the knowledge they gain from their academics and apply it directly to a work experience, such as co-op, prior to graduation, and that that it involves their active participation and ‘buy in’ to make the most of this experience. Throughout each academic term, EAC offers programming and services that support this.
For co-op students, the initiatives also serve as a reminder that several supports and services are available including one-on-one appointments with co-op career consultants, postings on the MyCareer portal, interview prep, and job search support.
“Being a part of National Co-op & WIL month is another way for us to bring this information to the forefront for the NC community,” said Fox.
