Employer Impact Awards Rubric: Impact in Innovation

Prompts (500-word maximum per prompt):

  1. Summarize how you encourage and enable Waterloo co-op students to be innovative and demonstrate entrepreneurial qualities at your organization.
  2. List any additional recent innovations, entrepreneurship initiatives or how you encourage the application of an innovation mindset within your organization.
  3. Provide details about how encouraging the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit in Waterloo co-op students has led to results, achievements or made an impact on your organization.

See our tips for a great application.

Prompts Scoring criteria 1-3 points 4-6 points 7-8 points 9-10 points
1. Summarize how you encourage and enable Waterloo co-op students to be innovative and demonstrate entrepreneurial qualities at your organization.

Did they include the following?

  • Programs, tools or resources offered to co-op students (e.g., access to innovation labs, entrepreneurial training sessions, funding for projects, hackathons, or workshops).
  • Any mentorship opportunities, pairing students with industry leaders or internal experts to develop entrepreneurial skills.
  • How they assign co-op students to projects or roles where they can take ownership and think creatively.
  • How they empower students to explore innovative solutions to real-world challenges.
  • Examples of practices such as encouraging students to pitch ideas, lead initiatives, or collaborate on cross-functional teams.

Provides minimal detail and few/no examples

Provides some detail and adequate examples

Provides adequate detail and good examples

Provides excellent detail and strong, connected examples
2. List any additional recent innovations, entrepreneurship initiatives or how you encourage the application of an innovation mindset within your organization.

Did they include the following?

  • Innovative programs, management styles or projects.
  • How the organization thrives through innovation.
  • How they foster an open environment for experimentation.
 Provides minimal detail and few/no examples Provides some detail and adequate examples Provides adequate detail and good examples Provides excellent detail and strong, connected examples
3. Provide details about how encouraging the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit in Waterloo co-op students has led to results, achievements or made an impact on your organization. 

Did they include the following?

  • Concrete examples of results, projects, or innovations led or significantly contributed to by Waterloo co-op students.
  • How they quantify the impact where possible (e.g., cost savings, revenue growth, product development, improved processes).
  • Accolades or recognition earned because of these efforts (e.g., awards, media coverage).
  • Impact on the organization culture.
 Provides brief overview or minimal examples Provides examples of impact, results and achievements – may not show how it is measurable Provides adequate detail and good examples of measurable impact, results and achievements Provides ample and insightful examples of measurable impact, results and achievements