Big News For International Students in Canada - Wavemakers’ Innovative Work Integrated Learning Experience Now Available to All Post Secondary Students in Canada
Innovative Partnership with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) Opens Doors to Work-Integrated Learning Opportunities for International Students.
Toronto, April 29, 2024 - Wavemakers and the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) are excited to announce a new partnership that opens up meaningful Work Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities for all post-secondary students - including international students - across Canada. The partnership equips students with Canadian work experience, catalyzing a highly skilled workforce with global connections.
“By partnering with BHER, we are making meaningful work-integrated-learning opportunities available to ALL students in Canada,” said Krista Pawley, Co-Founder of Wavemakers. “We know that participating in a high-quality Work-Integrated-Learning experience gives students a significant advantage as they enter the workforce and throughout their careers. Unfortunately for many students across Canada, substantial geographic, economic, and social barriers have blocked them from accessing these critical experiences. Wavemakers was intentionally designed to remove barriers to work-integrated learning, and thanks to this partnership, we can now partner with post-secondary institutions across Canada to make meaningful, turnkey WIL experiences part of program curricula - no matter the field of study.”
International students in Canada are some of the most vibrant, passionate and motivated students. Their talent and passion have the potential to help Canada build a workforce that is global, innovative, and ready to take on the challenges of an increasingly diverse global economy.
Since its inception, Wavemakers has been on a mission to make meaningful career-building experiences accessible to ALL students across Canada.
This partnership builds upon Wavemakers' existing collaboration with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), enabling the organization to welcome over 600 students and over 70 employers from coast to coast to coast. What’s more, over 85% of Wavemakers students self-identify as diverse, and 93% of Wavemakers students report that thanks to the program’s combination of mentorship, real-work experience, and a focus on future-readiness they feel better prepared to enter the world of work after completing the Wavemakers program.
“BHER is committed to creating opportunity through collaboration,” said Andrew Bieler, Director of Partnerships and Experiential Learning at BHER. BHER’s innovative partnership with Wavemakers enables post-secondary students in Canada to build the capabilities, networks, and confidence they need to thrive in the workplace of the future.”
WIL- For All - Any Post Secondary Program Can Now Be a WIL Program
For post-secondary institutions, this announcement means there are now two ways to make Wavemakers available to students.
As part of an open program - with 2-3 cohorts a month there is always an opportunity for students to join the Wavemakers program and connect with mentors, employers, and fellow students from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
This is shared through general promotion, which encourages students to participate in work-integrated learning and allows them to join at their discretion, allowing them to decide if the program is right for them.
By integrating Wavemakers into course curricula - Wavemakers’ proven turnkey program makes it possible for any post-secondary institution to offer a meaningful WIL experience within any course. Wavemakers’ has already successfully delivered integrated programming to more than 400 students through SAIT and Laurier. As a post-secondary institution, offering Wavemakers to students is incredibly important - and easy.
Course curriculum partnerships are a more tailored and collaborative approach. Instructors and professors at post-secondary institutions partner with Wavemakers to integrate the program directly into their course curriculum, ensuring students gain a work-integrated learning experience.
“One of the innovative components of the BHER partnership is the 1:1 model. This means that for every international student who participates in Wavemakers through a curriculum-integrated partnership, another international student who is not part of a curriculum partnership can join the program. With several hundred international students on the Wavemakers waiting list, this is a significant opportunity to meet what is a big need “, added Pawley.
Inclusion By Design - Leveraging Technology To Create Human Connections
Wavemakers is one of Canada's most inclusive, high-quality, work-integrated learning programs. With over 85% of students identifying as diverse, Wavemakers has been explicitly designed to remove barriers for equity-deserving students, including - people with disabilities, people of colour, Indigenous learners, students who are neurodiverse, students in rural and remote communities, women, newcomers to Canada, and international students.
At Wavemakers, the virtual reality component of the program is an enabler of accessibility and inclusivity. The avatar-based experience allows students to show up in the way they want. It prevents assumptions based on hidden biases - enabling students to be seen and celebrated for their abilities and capabilities.
“I identify as a person with a disability, so being in the Wavemakers virtual reality campus allowed me to feel like I could interact with others without any judgement. They’re just getting to know me as a person, without the physical aspect being involved“, said Stephanie, a Wavemakers Alum studying Social Work at Memorial University. “Wavemakers has really helped to raise my confidence. I used to feel nervous about sharing my thoughts or opinions, but having the experience of feeling like I matter, that I belong, has made me more confident to raise my hand in classes and to be a louder advocate for people with disabilities.”
About Wavemakers
Wavemakers is a groundbreaking virtual reality career-building program that gives students opportunities to thrive in the workplace of the future. The Government of Canada supports Wavemakers through the Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Program and in partnership with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable to strengthen students’ core future-proof capabilities and connect talent directly with leading employers across Canada.
To learn more about Wavemakers, how to share Wavemakers with your students, or to explore a curriculum partnership, contact Alayna Sturge (alayna@wavemakers.network).
About the Business + Higher Education Roundtable
The Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization bringing together some of Canada’s largest companies and leading post-secondary institutions. Since 2015, BHER has worked to harness the strengths of Canada’s business and post-secondary education sectors to build opportunities for young Canadians, boost innovation and drive collaboration. Learn more at www.bher.ca. Visit our WIL Hub for ways to explore, invest in and create quality WIL opportunities.
Contact:
Sabrina Bellissimo
sabrina@wavemakers.network