The Waterloo Experience (WE) Accelerate program will help you develop in-demand skills. We collaborated with industry leaders to offer you this innovative option in your first work term. Through content provided by industry collaborators and team-based project experiences, you’ll learn skills while gaining real-world experience - all while earning a flexible work term credit.
WE Accelerate is designed to help students build on the skills they have, while also developing the skills they need. I've had previous students come back and tell me they were able to get interviews and secure their next co-op because of what they learned through the program.
How the WE Accelerate program can help:
-
Build the skills employers are looking for.
- Apply new skills to real world projects.
- Learn from content created by industry experts.
- Leverage your experience in future job searches through career education.
- Participate remotely from any location.
- Earn a flexible work term credit (learn more about standard vs. flexible work term requirements and how many of each you need to graduate).
- Opt-in to the program and continue to look for a traditional work term. Your spot in the program is secured until the opt-out date of May 24.
How WE Accelerate works
Career component
Complete approximately 60 hours total of career programming.
Skills development
Complete approximately 100 hours of skills development provided by an industry collaborator.
Project experience
Complete approximately 120 hours of team-based, real-world project work (roughly 25 hours per week across a 5-week span).
WE Accelerate streams being offered in Spring 2024
Digital Bootcamp - Digital Marketing Strategy
The Digital Bootcamp stream features various mentors throughout the stream. It focuses on various digital strategies to maximize existing social media channels and platforms. You'll learn about:
• Social media analysis
• Social media strategy
• Maximizing social media exposure
Enrolment cap: 100 students
Digital Bootcamp - Growth Strategy
The Digital Bootcamp - Growth Strategy stream features various mentors throughout the stream. It focuses on various digital strategies to perform market analysis and identify market gaps. You'll learn about:
• Market analysis techniques
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Content marketing
Enrolment cap: 100 students
Digital Bootcamp - Web Design and Marketing
The Digital Bootcamp - Web design and marketing stream features various mentors throughout the stream. It focuses on designing webpages and marketing tools. You'll learn:
• Website design for desktop and mobile
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Content, email, and video marketing
Enrolment cap: 100 students
Brightspace Training
D2L offers the Brightspace training stream. It is focused on D2L's Brightspace training certificate program. You'll learn about:
• Developing course materials
• Building assessments and grading learners
• Communication and engagement
Enrolment cap: 25 students
Azure and Artificial Intelligence
Microsoft offers the Azure and Artificial Intelligence (AI) stream. It is an introduction to AI and its application across industry. You'll learn about:
• Azure Fundamentals content and certification
• Azure AI Fundamentals content and certification
• Design Thinking
Enrolment cap: 350 students
Timeline and what to expect
WE Accelerate opt-in/opt-out period | Beginning April 10 |
---|---|
WE Accelerate Virtual Information Day | Wednesday, April 10
|
Deadline to opt-in | Friday, May 17 at 4 p.m. (ET)
|
Streams assigned | Tuesday, May 21
|
Deadline to opt-out | Friday, May 24 at 9 a.m. (ET)
|
WE Accelerate work term begins | May 27 |
Career programming (part 1) | May 27 - 31
|
Skill development programming | Beginning June 3
|
Project experience | July 2 - August 2 (exact timing will depend on the stream/project)
|
Career programming (part 2) | August 6 - 12
|
Next steps: opt-in to WE Accelerate
We invite you to opt-in for WE Accelerate by filling out our opt-in form on WaterlooWorks by Friday, May 17 at 4 p.m. (ET). In this form, you'll indicate your interest in the skill streams. The WE Accelerate team will use this information to assign students to streams on a first-come, first-served basis. Each stream has different enrolment caps based on how many students industry collaborators can accommodate.
Not sure if you want to commit? Even if you choose to opt-in to reserve your spot, you can opt-out of the program if you change your mind any time before Friday, May 24 at 9 a.m. (ET).
Follow the steps below to opt-in by Friday, May 17 at 4 p.m. (ET):
- Login to WaterlooWorks and select Submit a form.
- Complete the form below:
- Category: Waterloo Experience (WE) Accelerate Program
- Sub-category: Opt-in – WE Accelerate (5026)
- After completing the opt-in form, you’ll be assigned to a stream on a first-come, first-served basis depending on how you ranked your streams of interest. We’ll let you know which stream you’ve been assigned to Tuesday, May 21.
- Please note: You do NOT need to complete an Arrange Own Job form or search for additional part-time work on top of WE Accelerate - just submitting the opt-in form and completing the components of your assigned stream is enough to get you co-op credit!
If you change your mind, follow the steps below to opt-out by Friday, May 24 at 9 a.m. (ET):
- Login to WaterlooWorks and select Submit a form.
- Complete the form below:
- Category: Waterloo Experience (WE) Accelerate Program
- Sub-category: Opt-out – WE Accelerate (5027)
- If we receive your opt-out form by the deadline of Friday, May 24 at 9 a.m. (ET), we'll remove you from the program.
- After this deadline, we expect that you will be committed to fulfilling the requirements for your stream to earn your co-op credit. WE Accelerate is a work term credit, so withdrawing from it after the deadline is considered leaving a work term early and may involve consequences. Please contact your co-op advisor for more details.