Who we are
We advance research for global impact on the development of talent for a complex future.
The Work-Learn Institute conducts, facilitates and shares the results of research into co-operative education and work-integrated learning using data from one of the world’s largest databases of student talent and a network of over 7,000 employers globally. Beyond thousands of student résumés, our database also stores all of our employer profiles, millions of job descriptions and records of employer-student interactions. The research reveals insights and is applied throughout Co-operative and Experiential Education's (CEE) programming to ensure we evolve to address the future world of work.
The only institute in the world dedicated to research on co-operative education and other forms of work-integrated learning
formerly known as Waterloo Centre for the Advancement of Co-operative Education
Have the largest dataset to study, understand and continue to advance its practice, with the largest co-operative education program of its kind
in the world
What is WIL?
Work-integrated learning (WIL) varies in definition across different contexts. According to Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada, WIL is a type of curricular experiential education that formally blends a student’s academic studies with meaningful experiences in a workplace or practice setting. These WIL experiences involve an active partnership between at least three parties: an academic institution, a host organization, and a student (CEWIL, 2021).
WIL comes in many forms, and CEWIL identifies 9 types of WIL in Canada:
- Apprenticeship
- Internship
- Co-op
- Field experience
- Mandatory professional practice
- Applied research projects
- Entrepreneurship
- Service learning
- Work experience