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. 

Evaluation Report:
Work Integrated Learning Evaluation 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.

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

Small and Medium-Sized Employers (SMEs): Skills Gaps and Future Skills

• October 2020
• Diversity Institute, Public Policy Forum

Canada’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for more than 90 percent of private-sector jobs in Canada. To be competitive in today’s market, they need the right people with the right skills, yet they are disproportionately threatened by labour shortages and skills gaps – a situation made worse by COVID-19. Unlike large corporations, SMEs possess limited resources, making it exponentially more challenging to support these human resources needs. There is a dire need for innovative research & solutions.

• Inclusive Economy
• SME Adaptability

1 Related Reports

• Full research reportPDF
  Small and Medium-Sized Employers (SMEs): Skills Gaps and Future Skills

Project

lnshore Fishery Development in the Qikiqtani Region of Nunavut

• September 2023
• Qikiqtaaluq Corporation

As part of its five year plan to address the human resource needs for successful inshore fisheries research and development in the Qikiqtani region, QC accessed FSC funding to develop the Inshore Fishery Development in the Qikiqtani Region of Nunavut program.

• Inclusive Economy
• SME Adaptability

1 Related Reports

• Insights ReportPDF
  Download Insights Report

Research

From Newcomers to Game-Changers: Improving Immigrant Skill Utilization in Key Sectors

• June 2025
• Signal49 Research (formerly The Conference Board of Canada)

Immigrants come to Canada with an abundance of skills and credentials, hoping to build better lives for themselves and their families. Yet many find themselves in jobs that do not reflect their full potential. The Conference Board of Canada, on behalf of the Future Skills Centre, is researching immigrant skill mismatch (the underuse of immigrants’ skills in roles they are qualified for) and skill wastage (unemployment or employment outside their field of expertise) in three sectors with acute labour shortages and high availability of immigrant labour: health, construction, and accommodation and food services.

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