Work-integrated learning awards

Two students sitting on laptops

About the awards 

Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) and the Centre for Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) are excited to offer awards for undergraduate and graduate students participating in unpaid work-integrated learning (WIL).  

Funding is available broadly for unpaid WIL and to specific programs through various funding sources. We’ve outlined the application and eligibility requirements for each available award. Funding for awards this term is provided by the Government of Canada's Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative (iWIL), Co-operative Education and Work Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada's Innovation Hub (iHUB), and Enbridge. 

Fall 2024 awards

Funder Eligibility Value
Enbridge

Students must meet all the following criteria:

  • Completed a minimum of 36 hours in a curricular form of unpaid WIL (i.e. course-based WIL, WE Accelerate, EDGE milestones, unpaid required practicums, unpaid required internships)
  • Must be enrolled in a Waterloo co-op program

Amount based on the duration of WIL experience:

  • 36-99 hours - $500
  • 100-199 hours - $1,000
  • 200+ hours - $1,500
CEWIL Canada's Innovation Hub (iHUB) 

Students must meet the following criteria: 

  • Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act 

  • Legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with the relevant provincial legislation and regulations 

  • Completed unpaid WIL experience with an eligible Canadian community or industry partner* 

  • Completed a minimum of 36 hours in a curricular form of unpaid WIL (i.e. course-based WIL, WE Accelerate, EDGE milestones, unpaid required practicums, unpaid required internships) 

Amount based on the duration of WIL experience:

  • 36-99 hours - $500
  • 100-199 hours - $1,000
  • 200+ hours - $1,500

*Please note: Ineligible Canadian community or industry partners: post-secondary institutions, with the exception of entrepreneurial WIL only; Federal, Provincial, Territorial, Municipal Government; Members of the House of Commons and the Senate; Organizations that engage in partisan political activities; Financial sector employers with 500 or more employees (includes all branches);  Organizations for which you are paying for a service.

Selection process

All student applications meeting eligibility requirements will be considered, however, award availability is limited to available funding. If eligible applications exceed available funding, a randomized lottery selection will be used to select award winners.  

Additional guidelines

Students and industry/community partners may be asked to complete a survey following the award disbursement and may be contacted to verify information. Students receiving an award funded by Enbridge may be invited to meet with Enbridge representatives and participate in public promotional opportunities.

How to apply

Apply for an unpaid work-integrated learning (WIL) award by Monday, December 3 at 11:59 p.m. (ET):

  1. Login to WaterlooWorks
  2. From your dashboard, select Submit a form from the navigation menu
  3. Complete the form
    • Category: Awards and funding
    • Sub-category: Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Awards Application (5045)
  4. Applications will be reviewed by the Centre for WIL for eligibility and to verify completion of all required elements of your unpaid curricular WIL experience
  5.  Awards granted will be added to students’ Quest student accounts on/before Jan 15, 2025 and students will be notified by email 

To confirm you submitted your application, select “My Forms” in your WaterlooWorks dashboard. You will see the date and time your application form was submitted. If the “Submitted Date” field is empty and you can see blue “complete form” and “view” buttons to the left, it has not been submitted and you have only saved the form as a draft. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Centre for WIL.