MRU hosts Government of Alberta announcement for work-integrated learning funding
More than $5 million to go towards portal supporting hand-on opportunities
— Mount Royal University | Posted: July 7, 2022
CEO and president of Calgary Economic Development Brad Parry says, "This collaboration, including all seven of Calgary’s post-secondaries and local employers, is an exciting major step towards ensuring that Calgarians will have opportunities to advance their job skills and enhance Calgary’s talent pool for our future economy.”
Mount Royal students are set to benefit from a new pilot program aimed at making more work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities available in the province.
At a news conference on Thursday, July 7, at Mount Royal University’s CN Supply Chain Analytics Lab, the Government of Alberta announced a $2.5 million dollar investment in Calgary Economic Development’s (CED) new regional work-integrated learning pilot program.
The Future Skills Centre, an initiative funded by the federal government, is also providing $2.9 million for the program.
Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education Demetrios Nicolaides, PhD, who made the announcement, says this pilot will help support Calgary’s economic recovery by aligning work placements with key industry partners.
CED will use the funds to develop an online portal for WIL opportunities that will allow students from seven post-secondary schools in Calgary to connect with industry placements. These placements can be offered as co-ops, internships, applied research projects or field placements.
Brad Parry, president and CEO of CED, is optimistic that the online portal will be developed by the end of 2022 and then rolled out for use in the spring of 2023.
He says it will be a marketplace of sorts for students and businesses to find each other.
“It’s going to allow us to connect small- and medium-sized enterprises with students and faculties to showcase the opportunities that are there and allow students to get the hands-on learning that they need.”
Parry says the majority of the funding will be used to build the online platform, but some will also go towards educating businesses and industry partners about how they can benefit from having students involved in a WIL program.
Naavneet Aulakh, is a Bachelor of Business Administration student at Mount Royal University majoring in finance and supply chain management and is currently on a 16-month co-operative education program with a Calgary-based oil and gas company. She knows first-hand how valuable WIL opportunities are.
“My role involves much of what I learned in my courses. This work-integrated learning has prepared me for my career by showing me what I’ve learned in the classroom and how it applies into the real world,” she says.
Not only has she gained valuable experience through WIL programming, Aulakh says having the chance to work in the industry while attending MRU has helped shape her career path.
“I did a rotation every three months to see which department aligned with my interests the most. I now know that I want to start my career in sourcing, because every day is something new and there are a lot of moving parts, which is something I enjoy.”
Aulakh points out that for many students the transition from school to the workplace can be daunting, so this type of program helps bridge the gap. In addition, she says this type of experience allows students to kick-start their networking, allowing them to make industry connections before graduation.
“Work-integrated learning provides our students with valuable opportunities to work with experts in their field and gain experience that enhances their degrees and helps them launch their careers and make meaningful contributions to society,” says MRU’s interim provost Elizabeth Evans, PhD, who emceed the event.
Since 2020, Alberta’s Ministry of Advanced Education has invested more than $11 million into WIL programs.