Calgary Regional WIL Secretariate and Portal 

Work-integrated learning (WIL) gives people the chance to apply the skills they have learned in the classroom while gaining on-the-job experience and pathways to meaningful careers in  emerging, high-demand sectors. 

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Through FSC’s $2.9 million investment, Calgary Economic Development (CED) is developing a one-stop, online portal for WIL opportunities in the region. These paid work placements focus on gaining hands-on experience from industry experts over the course of a student’s academic studies. Placements can be co-ops, internships, applied research projects or field placements.

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This innovative model and central platform will support economic growth and inclusion through WIL for post-secondary students, and will benefit jobseekers, employers and the Alberta economy.This initiative will also make WIL more accessible to non-traditional participants such as mature learners, youth, and organizations not typically connected to post-secondary institutions. 

CED and multiple local stakeholders have come together to form a consortium with technology partners Magnet and Orbis Communications, in order to demonstrate the viability of deploying a regional WIL model and to identify and address issues around broader applicability for communities and regions across Canada. 

This work is immediately contributing to Calgary’s economic transformation, while also providing insights for a more systematic way for employers to collaborate with post-secondary institutions. 

Featured Projects

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Project

Reimagining Equity-Centred Supports for Racialized Changemakers in Metro Vancouver

The first phase of this project aimed to co-create and pilot an equity-centred regional social enterprise and social impact incubator and accelerator program, geared to serve the unique and varied needs of racialized newcomer founders, leaders, and teams in the Metro Vancouver area.
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Research

The Next Wave: Automation and Canada’s Labour Market

This Commentary assesses the likely impact of technological automation on Canada’s labour market and compares these results to past predictions. In fact, they show a lower proportion of employment at high risk of automation (about 22 percent) than most previous estimates.
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Project

Quality of work of Canada’s contingent workforce

This research sheds light on the reasons why people engage in gig work and the policy levers needed to mitigate the risks associated with this new form of employment.
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