Friday, April 16, 2021

Work-integrated learning is changing with the times

This article was originally featured on Waterloo News.

The University of Waterloo is launching a new style of work-integrated learning specifically designed to help co-op students seeking their first work term during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the analysis of 71,000 job descriptions - research conducted by Waterloo’s Work-Learn Institute – Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) identified the top skills in most demand by employers across all industries during this time when the nature of work is fundamentally changing. Skills employers are looking for now include: technology, communications, video marketing, social media, software development and quality assurance, project-identification, analysis and development of innovation solutions.

“The past year has created unique and unexpected challenges for our students, and we are excited to introduce more flexible ways for them to upskill and engage in meaningful work-integrated learning,” says Norah McRae, associate provost of CEE. “The WE Accelerate Program will not only help students secure team-based project experiences, but through the exemplary efforts of our employers and industry partners, it will also help students develop vital skills to navigate a complex future of work.”

CEE co-developed the new program (dubbed WE Accelerate) with industry partners Microsoft, Deloitte, Vidyard, Desire2Learn and Manulife, as well as campus partners Concept by Velocity, The Problem Lab, and The Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change. All provided their expertise, course content, facilitators, coaches and mentors. Some of these partners will work with students on real work projects. The program offers a unique quality work-integrated learning opportunity and provides an alternative to a traditional co-op work term.

Quotes from Partners:

Microsoft

“For over two decades, Microsoft has recruited exceptional talent from the University of Waterloo through the co-op program.  Microsoft is proud to collaborate with the University of Waterloo to upskill and coach first work-term students as one of the first steps in their career journey. These students will have the chance to work on industry projects, gain valuable mentorship, and earn their first Microsoft certification in Azure cloud and AI, setting them on a path to thrive in the digital economy.” 

– Kevin Peesker, President, Microsoft Canada

Manulife

“Manulife is proud to have a longstanding relationship with the University of Waterloo. Through this new work-integrated learning program, we’re excited to help first work-term students build their skills in software development as they work on projects that can have a positive impact on digital, customer experiences. We look forward to connecting students with talented, ambitious, and out of the box thinkers through this program, in support of building a resilient and innovative future workforce for tomorrow’s graduates.”

– Hugh Cumming, CIO, Manulife Canada

Vidyard

Video is the future of business in this digital-focused world. Through the Waterloo Experience (WE) Accelerate program, we’ve partnered with the University of Waterloo to develop video marketing skills with first work-term students. Vidyard uses video to change the way companies connect and communicate and this skill set will set UWaterloo students apart, ready to embrace the constantly evolving digital workplace.

– Michael Litt, co-founder & CEO, Vidyard, Systems Engineering alumnus and former co-op student

Deloitte

“To stay ahead of today’s workplace disruptions, organizations need to continuously upskill their workforce dynamically and in the flow of work. We recognize that human-centred design (HCD) is a key future skill for building a future-ready workforce and are delighted to collaborate with the University of Waterloo to create an HCD Master Class for first-year students. During this 8-week course, students will solve a real work-integrated problem using the fundamentals of HCD - developing solutions that put the “human”, whether a customer, an employee, or a business partner, at the forefront, while flipping orthodoxies and paradigms about how a business operates.”

– Peter Tulumello, Leader of Learning Advisory and Ecosystems, Deloitte Canada

Concept/Velocity

“Concept is incredibly excited to help offer students a unique opportunity to spend a semester expanding their networks across disciplines and working with industry experts. The WE Accelerate program will provide exposure to opportunities outside of student comfort zones and allows them to focus on non-academic interests while building highly transferrable skills.”

– Carly Cameron, Manager Entrepreneurship Experience, Concept imagined by Velocity

Katrina Di Gravio retiring after more than 40 years

Katrina Di Gravio, director of Organizational and Human Development is retiring on April 30, 2021.

"For those who have worked with Katrina, I believe you’ll agree that it is difficult—if not impossible —to completely sum up all of her achievements over her more than 40 years of dedicated service," wrote Marilyn Thompson, associate provost, human resources in a memo circulated to employees yesterday. "Here are just a few that have helped to shape the University family:

"Katrina began at Waterloo in 1980, joining Human Resources, where she took on a variety of roles and rapidly became a very well-known and respected member of the University community. In November 2006, Katrina became the director of the newly formed unit, Organizational and Human Development, that would focus on employee development, offering in-house learning opportunities on leadership, coaching, and so much more." 

"In 2008, Katrina established the annual Waterloo Staff Conference as a platform to further support lifelong learning and professional development opportunities for employees. The event now brings more than 1,500 employees together each year from our various campuses and offices across the country."

"In 2009, Katrina worked on an institutional committee to develop strategies for meeting the diverse needs of our University. From that committee, The Principles of Inclusivity were born. Building on this success, Katrina put the newly formed Principles into action, and launched the seven-part Principles of Inclusivity program, an award-winning certificate program that develops and reinforces inclusive behaviours and skills."

"In recent years, Katrina has been highly involved in strategic planning for the institution in several key areas focused on ensuring that wellness, mental health, and our employees’ wellbeing is front and centre of all that we do. Her dedication has resulted in the launch of the Healthy Workplace Committee, the campus-wide adoption of the Healthy Workplace Statement, and the implementation of our annual Keeping Well at Work event."

"Katrina has dedicated more than forty years to the job and, through all this time, she has touched the lives and careers of hundreds of Waterloo employees and students," Thompson concludes. "I know I am not alone in expressing my sincere appreciation to Katrina for her leadership, guidance, and commitment to Waterloo."

You can share your thoughts, stories, memories and best wishes for Katrina on a dedicated Kudoboard.

Get your doodle on and other notes

Joe Petrik from Computer Science took this shot of the Engineering 5 bridge on a clear day just as the sun was beginning to set.

"Adult colouring books are a popular stress reduction tool," says a note from the University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA). "Come and learn how to make your own at the Meditative Doodling Workshop."  

"This awesome technique combines meditative brain states with personal expression, focus and play to provide you with a power tool for relaxation, stress reduction, and expressing your creativity. Absolutely zero artistic skills, ability or knowledge are needed. Bring your family, and your sense of playfulness and enjoy this full “play” shop."

The minimum supplies needed are a pen and some paper. However, if you have the items listed below, UWSA swears you'll have a more enjoyable experience:

• Black ultra-fine-tip marker
• Black chisel-tip marker
• ruler
• 10-12 sheets of plain paper

"For your convenience, we’ve partnered with the WStore to offer a Meditative Doodling Workshop Kit at a 25 per cent discount," says the note from UWSA. "For your safety, they offer contactless curbside pickup (no extra cost) or home delivery ($10 fee)."

The free event takes place on April 20 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., online via MS Teams. Registration is required. To register, fill out this event registration form and you will be invited to an Outlook meeting with a link to the Teams event.

The event is open to any Waterloo staff member and members of their households - even the kids.

The Office of Research's Intellectual Property Presentation Series continues today with Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Trade secrets. "Did you know that the top five most valuable brands in the world in 2020 are all technology companies?" asks the event summary. "The most valuable brand in the world in 2020, according to Forbes, was Apple with an estimated value of over $241 Billion (USD). By comparison, Coca-Cola’s brand value in 2020 was over $64 Billion (USD)." Attend the trademark presentation and learn how to use this form of Intellectual Property (IP) protection to build the brand value of your technology or start-up. The event takes place from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The University of Waterloo’s Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3) is hosting a webinar next Thursday, April 22 entitled International Climate Change Governance. "IC3 is excited to present the “International Climate Change Governance” webinar, the first event in our UWaterloo’s Road to COP26 series," says a note from IC3. "This webinar will unpack the international governance framework of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Moderated by Waterloo Professor Ian Rowlands, join us for an engaging discussion about how COP fits into the global climate change governance system, and hear from guest speakers on their own COP experiences and what you can expect from COP26 in Glasgow. Guest speakers include Elizabeth Atkinson, Senior Policy Manager at Natural Resources Canada, and UWaterloo students and past COP delegates Lowine Hill, Brooklyn Rushton, and Valentina Castillo Cifuentes."

The webinar takes place from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on April 22.

St. Jerome’s University alumnus Shannon Nash, (BA ’07) has been recognized as an Emerging Thought Leader by Women in International Security-Canada (WIIS). Nash, who graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Master of Arts (History), and a PhD from the University of Toronto, is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Trent University. She is also the Network Manager of the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN), where she works and collaborates with experts, emerging scholars, and students working in defence and security. Her research on terrorism in Canada drew the attention of the WIIS-Canada group, who solicited a call for researchers to submit their work as part of its inaugural Emerging Thought Leader initiative.  

WIIS is the premier organization in the world dedicated to advancing the leadership and professional development of women in the field of international peace and security. In addition to sponsoring leadership training and mentoring, WIIS-Canada supports research projects and policy engagement initiatives on critical international security issues, including the nexus between gender and security.

Read the full story on the St. Jerome's University website.

Finally, a reminder that Plant Operations has launched its new Service Interruption platform, a web-based system that allows users to self-register and manage their notification preferences for various types of service interruptions (power outages, elevator maintenance, water shut-offs, etc.) and impacted locations. This new platform replaces the old “shut-down notices”, which will be phased out after today. Anyone wishing to receive notifications should ensure they subscribe to the new system at https://uwaterloo.ca/plant-operations/service-interruptions.