The transition from university life into the workplace can be difficult on students. Employers are looking for broader skill sets and knowledge bases than ever before, often ranking oral communication, written communication, teamwork, and critical thinking and/or problem solving as the most desirable skills for entry-level positions. Luckily, WatPD is here to help. WatPD teaches these highly-desired skills, complementing the learning that occurs during academic courses and co-op experiences.
WatPD offers 13 professional development courses on topics ranging from conflict resolution to project management. The courses provide co-op students with the foundation required to recognize the importance of these skills and to address weaknesses in their skillset, accelerating the development of these highly-desirable workplace skills and improving their employability.
WatPD continuously strives to enhance student learning and improve employability through WatPD courses. The most recent program enhancement is the development of two new courses: PD11: Processes for Technical Report Writing and PD12: Reflection and Learning in the Workplace. Each course tackles a different, but vital component of the co-op program.
PD11: Processes for Technical Report Writing introduces students to the steps involved in report writing. It’s designed to help them write future work reports and reports in the workplace. The instructor for this course is Professor Jay Dolmage who is the Associate Chair of the department of English.
PD12: Reflection and Learning in the Workplace introduces students to the idea of integrating reflection into each workplace experience. The course covers important pieces like goal setting, self-awareness and metacognition, dependability, and adaptability. The instructor for the course is Professor Linda Carson who is the Director of Independent Studies.
The courses are open to all co-op students, either as a required course or an elective. PD11: Processes for Technical Report Writing is a required course for co-op students in the faculties of Math and Science. PD12: Reflection and Learning in the Workplace is a required course for co-op students in Arts, Environment and Health. These new courses are replacing PD2 in the suite of courses offered by WatPD and will be available in Fall 2016.
WatPD is also the largest co-op employer at the University, offering co-op experiences to over 40 co-op students each year and 222 students since 2012. Co-op students not only gain experience as students of WatPD courses but also as employees.
