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

A classroom with XR and virtual reality equipment.
Project

Digital Transformation Strategy

There is growing demand for workers with advanced digital skills. To address this demand, Georgian College aimed to modernize itself. Guided by a Digital Transformation Strategy, this project involved integrating campus-wide extended reality (XR) technologies to enhance teaching and learning, remote collaboration and tools for daily work.
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Fisheries for Economic and Environmental Development in the North (FEED the North)

The FEED the North project, spearheaded by the Ocean Wise Conservation Association, targeted economic and environmental challenges in Nunavut, which were intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic and by climate change. This initiative aimed to merge traditional Inuit knowledge with Western science, enhancing sustainability in local fisheries and bridging Indigenous and Western environmental conservation methods.
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Project

Young Newcomers and International Students in Diploma Programs: Shock-proofing through Language Confidence

The number of international students in Canada has increased dramatically, and while students often have the content knowledge to succeed, limited language abilities can negatively impact their studies and transition to employment. To address this issue, BCIT implemented a language assessment for students and provided a suite of language support services to strengthen its existing Language Support for English as an Additional Language (EAL) offerings.
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