How one student upskilled through the middle of a pandemic

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When the COVID-19 pandemic hit at the beginning of 2020, it had a major impact on the global economy, and the University of Waterloo was not immune to that. While many co-op students quickly pivoted to remote positions, others struggled to find jobs.  

After analyzing more than 74,000 job descriptions, research identified some of the top skills that employers are looking for from their students. These in-demand skills included software development, written and verbal communication, and problem-solving skills.  

The University of Waterloo worked with industry partners to establish the Waterloo Experience (WE) Accelerate program. It is an optional program for first-work term students to develop these in-demand skills through content and team-based project experiences.  

We spoke with Shaili Kadakia, a Business Administration and Computer Science double degree student who completed the (WE) Accelerate program in spring 2021, to find out how the program helped her to upskill and prepare for future jobs. 

In the first few months of 2021, Shaili spent many hours searching and applying for jobs through WaterlooWorks - the University's internal job board for students. During her search, Shaili noticed different companies listed a lot of similar tech skills that she hadn't yet gained in her first year of classes. 

In spring 2021, Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) launched the (WE) Accelerate program and Shaili quickly recognized that the Manulife - Web Application Design Fundamentals stream could offer her the relevant skills she needed. 

"I learned so much in those four months that I don't think I would have learned in another job," says Shaili. "It really set up my transformation of who I want to be as a software developer."

Shaili gained skills in JavaScript, React JS, Node.js, GraphQL and even project management tools like Jira. While these hard skills are important for a software developer, she also developed crucial skills such as communication and project management from her experience working with her (WE) Accelerate project team.  

“Not only did I get to learn the actual skills, but I learned how to be a better problem solver and build that intuition that comes with experience and working with other people,” says Shaili.  

Shaili has continued her upskilling independently through LinkedIn courses.  She attributes her success in finding her second co-op job to the skills she acquired through LinkedIn and the (WE) Accelerate program. 

“In my first co-op term I had three interviews all together and I got ranked but didn’t receive any offers. When I was applying for jobs this time around, I had eight interviews, was ranked by six and got two offers. I realized that (WE) Accelerate helped me build the skills I was lacking so I can be a better employee.” 


Upskilling will continue to be important as we see a shift in the workforce. The ability to be agile and adapt to a changing workforce will be crucial for employee success. For more information about upskilling your employees, register for our online event, “Upskilling to prepare for the future of work” on November 17, 2021.