Growing graduate work-integrated learning (WIL)
Addresses objective: T2A Grow graduate work-integrated learning
Waterloo’s goal is to build GradWIL to be as prominent a differentiator at Waterloo as undergraduate WIL. This will give graduate students the opportunity to engage in strategic, complex, and impactful projects and faculties the opportunity to deepen relationships with research and industry partners. An important challenge is to build the graduate program WIL in a way that does not dilute the undergraduate WIL employer and partner pools while differentiating skillsets and desired outcomes between graduate and undergraduate programs.
In 2021 Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) formed a working group with Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) to explore structures and models for GradWIL. The objective of this effort is to build a menu of experiential options for faculties and programs to use that best suit their needs. Some experiential options might include traditional co-operative education placements, internships course-based practicums or community / industry research projects, and externally sponsored graduate research activities. A few GradWIL initiatives are already underway in Engineering and Environment.
Jump to: DT Goal 2 | Developing Talent Goals
Moving forward: In 2022-2023, the GradWIL working group, jointly led by CEE and GSPA, will produce an initial menu of program options with a communication plan to socialize opportunities with faculties. Building on the successful pilots from 2022, additional pilot programs in each Faculty will be launched in 2023. In the future, a centrally offered option will be made available.