White paper

The International Research Symposium (IRS) is an international conference organized by the World Association for Cooperative Education (WACE), where leaders in industry, government and academia, as well as experts in work-integrated education gather from around the world to present research and case studies, exchange information and know-how, and build human networks.

In many parts of the world, including Canada, there are calls for an increase in the number of work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for post-secondary students. 

Work-integrated learning (WIL) programs often partner with career services centers to support WIL students throughout the job search process, and résumé critiques are among the most popular career services that WIL students might access. 

One of the most important aspects in successful student recruitment is an understanding of what students value in the workplace. In order to determine whether employers’ perceptions of value aligned with those of current students, both parties were asked to review value statements. 

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is here and is forcing organizations and workplaces to think critically about the future of work, and how they will adapt to the associated changes. In this project, our team conducted a rapid review of 32 reports on the future of work published by Canadian and international organizations.

The Waterloo Region Future of Work & Learning Coalition was established in 2019 with the goal of promoting community and cross-sectoral collaboration to solve common challenges and work towards future proofing our community.