Longo Faculty of Business Successful in Securing Funding for Students Completing Unpaid WIL Placements
Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada) and the Canadian Government have partnered to create innovative work-integrated learning opportunities for post-secondary students.
Longo Faculty of Business succeeded in securing $137,000 in funding to provide compensation to 85 students who participated in an unpaid WIL experience. These creative and innovative projects involved new and existing industry and community partners, entrepreneurial ventures, and school associations. The work allowed students the opportunity to fulfill their WIL requirement, gain new technical skills and apply what they have learned in the classroom to a real-world experience.
Successful proposals included:
Building a Sustainable Structure for a Student-led Community Association
Funding secured: $20,000 benefiting 20 students
Project Focus: To provide socially isolated Fashion Management and Digital Business Management students with an opportunity to leverage technology in order to overcome barriers and fulfill their Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) required for their WIL experience. The purpose was to create a student-run association that consults/partners with industry, community, and other students on topics of interest through public consultations, delivered in a virtual series of events during the month of March.
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WIL Field Placements/Entrepreneurship and Small Business
Funding secured: $18,000 benefiting 10 students
Proposal by: Cheryl Mitchell
Project Focus: To provide socially isolated students with an opportunity to leverage technology and overcome barriers to fulfill their program outcomes required for their WIL experience. Students work within the field of entrepreneurship in several industries to support small businesses with their struggles during these challenging economic times. The purpose is to work with partners where students can apply skills and implement knowledge learned in the classroom to the needs of the current workplace. Students work with a mentor and are provided with a practical, applied, and experiential learning opportunity. By the end of the placement, they will develop the skills around innovation in the industry, understand the role of an entrepreneur and meet their program learning outcomes. We will expand access to WIL opportunities, particularly for our under-represented students.
WIL Field Placement Component of Program Curriculum
Funding secured: $99,000 benefiting 55 students
Proposal by: Antoniette Di Marco
Project Focus: To provide socially isolated, Hospitality and Tourism Operations Management, Tourism – Travel Services Management, Hospitality - Event Management and Hospitality - Hotel and Restaurant Operations Management students an opportunity to overcome barriers to fulfill their mandatory WIL component in one of the hardest-hit industry sectors due to COVID. Students leverage technology to support a virtual and limited on-site WIL experience.
The field placement provides practical experiences for students to apply previous learning within a sector of the hospitality industry. The internship encourages students to apply skills and implement knowledge learned in the classroom to the needs of the current workplace. Students have an industry professional as their mentor and are provided with a practical, applied, and experiential learning opportunity. By the end of the placement, they will develop the skills around innovation in the industry, as well as meet their program learning outcomes. Students will apply skills from the classroom while learning new skills in the workplace to contribute to the growth and success of our employer partners who are facing many challenges because of COVID. Students expand on their technical skills while providing high-quality benefits to our employer partners, allowing for the fostering of new relationships and strengthening existing ones.
Student Testimonial
Below is a testimonial from a recipient of the Longo Faculty of Business funding proposal as part of the partnership between the Government of Canada (Employment and Social Development) and Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada.
Derek completed his field placement with TourRadar.
About TourRadar
TourRadar is an early-stage, venture-backed marketplace disrupting a $50 billion industry. Revolutionizing how multi-day tours are compared and purchased, we provide travellers with a trusted online marketplace to find and book life-enriching experiences worldwide. Traditionally, these types of experiences have been predominantly serviced offline by brick-and-mortar travel agents, but we recognize that it's time to move this industry online and capture global market share through digital reach. With over 35 different nationalities in our team and offices spread across Europe, North America, and Australia, we work to deliver the best possible service and tour booking experience to our customers.
What does receiving the honorarium funding mean for you?
The honorarium was a big surprise to me and some very needed financial relief. This will allow me to concentrate on kick-starting my career in travel and tourism. It also makes me feel like all the hard work I put in at my internship, which was already fulfilling, was even more worthwhile. I wish more of my classmates could receive this since it's been a tough year. Thanks so much!
What was the most valuable thing that you learned during your internship placement?
For me this internship was everything. I've always avoided office work-type jobs, something about it just didn't work for me. This internship provided me with a trial run of what it would be like to work at a computer all day, to work on my own and to work from home. It allowed me to lean on mentors for advice and knowledge. It gave me the confidence to know that I can do this kind of work and that I'm also pretty good at it!
Without an internship, it's easy to read a job description and feel like you don't qualify, or you can't do it. Doubt begins to creep in, and you become overwhelmed. Soon you're working a job unrelated to your field, just because it's familiar. The internship changes this, all of the real-world experience you gain, removes that doubt and empowers you. The internship provides so much value, if I was starting over, I would only choose a program that includes an internship.
