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. 

Download Report

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.

person using a laptop and writing in a notebook

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

Research

Making the Invisible Visible: Neurodivergent Students’ Experiences in Canadian Higher Education

Despite increasing enrolment rates, neurodivergent students are less likely to graduate than their neurotypical peers. Canadian postsecondary institutions (PSIs) are striving to make post-secondary education…
Animated lightbulb
Research

The Mother of Invention: Skills for Innovation in the Post-Pandemic World

To be successful, Canada’s skills strategies must address skills for innovation across sectors from solo entrepreneurs, to small and medium-sized businesses, to large corporations – and even within government itself.
Research

The skills to work together: Strengthening interprofessional collaboration in diabetic foot care

Which skills do healthcare professionals in Canada need to bring to interprofessional foot care teams? What are the three types of necessary skill sets for interprofessional collaboration described in this briefing?
View more