While WIL students bring valuable skills and experience to your organization, they are also looking to improve in some areas. WIL students are motivated to not only apply what they've learned academically and professionally, but also to develop new skills that will enhance their employability. Focusing on your student's willingness to learn and devlelop in their role will result in a greater return on your investment.
Here's what you can expect from your WIL student in key talent areas:
Technical Skills
Expect your WIL student to have some technical skills. Through their academic program, WIL students learn technical skills and have practiced them in low stakes environments, like tests and labs.
Understand what technical skills your WIL student has:
In the WIL job posting, tell students exactly which technical skills are required for the position, and list some skills that are "nice-to-have". This allows candidates to tell you their technical skill proficiency on their résumé and express their eagerness to put these skills to use for your organization.
Help your WIL student develop technical skills:
Students are also interested in improving their employability by adding to their technical skill repertoire. Provide opportunities to practice technical skills or obtain further training during the experience. There are many free training resources available to students, such as LinkedIn Learning.
Transferable Skills
Expect your WIL student to have transferable skill strengths and areas for improvement. WIL experiences gives students the opportunity to develop these skills in an authentic environment.
Understand what transferable skills your WIL student has:
Even in highly technical roles, transferable skills have a significant impact on how WIL students can contribute to the organization. In the WIL job posting, describe the transferable skills that will help candidates be successful in the role. Students can provide evidence that they have these skills through their academic, co-curricular, volunteer and part-time work experiences.
Help your WIL student develop transferable skills:
Talk to your WIL student about a transferable skill they would like to improve during the experience. Find a way to track your student’s progress, such as setting a SMART goal.
University of Waterloo supports co-op and EDGE certificate students in developing transferable skills through the Work Integrated Learning Programs (WIL Programs). Students take an online professional development course alongside their WIL experience to improve workplace skills and employability.
Future Ready Skills
The University of Waterloo’s Future Ready Talent Framework (FRTF) is a research-backed tool to help students, employers, and educators understand the key competencies needed to navigate the future of work. Review the FRTF to learn more about the future ready skills Waterloo students and see how Waterloo students are preparing to contribute to your organization.
Understand what future ready skills your WIL student has:
Bringing students into your organization early will help you develop a talent pipeline with employees who have complementary and unique combinations of skills.
Help your WIL student develop future ready skills:
Empower your WIL student to develop the skills that are needed for the future of work. A recent Waterloo study shows that those who adopt a lifelong learning mindset see greater performance, more promotions, and higher job satisfaction.
Experience
Expect that your WIL student may have limited direct work experience. Being open to hiring a student with limited experience will give you access to a wider talent pool.
Understand your WIL student’s experience:
Students bring a variety of experiences from academics, co-curriculars, volunteer and part-time work in addition to life experience. When reviewing résumés, focus on the skills students have, rather than specific experience.
Help your WIL student gain experience:
The perceived value of a WIL opportunity increases for students when they can connect the experience with their academic program and/or potential future work. Give your student room to grow through challenging work and new opportunities and talk to them about their progress. Learn more about these strategies in, “What kind of work do WIL students want to be involved in?”
If you’re looking for a more experienced student, consider the following in your recruiting strategies:
- Indicate the desired experience level on the job description or on the job posting platform.
- Recruit from a program where WIL occurs more than once or towards the end of the program.
- For example, co-op students complete multiple work experiences during their degree
- Consider candidates with significant co-curricular or volunteer experience as they will have transferable skills that can be applied to the role.
- Recognize the candidate’s potential, rather than fulfilling all the requirements now.