UNews - Jasminn Berteotti

CIBC Navigator Program designed to empower students with disabilities

trevor.kenney — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 15:47:54 +0000

A new program in support of employment opportunities for students with disabilities is up and running thanks to a major gift from CIBC.

The CIBC Navigator Program is a five-year project made possible by a $250,000 donation.

The CIBC Navigator Program is a five-year project made possible by a $250,000 donation. Its goals are to support the development of co-operative education placement positions for students with disabilities, provide comprehensive supports to enhance student success upon placement and encourage all students within the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Accommodated Learning Centre to participate in volunteer or co-operative education opportunities. The program also seeks to develop effective partnerships with employers so that they can provide quality co-operative educational opportunities for students with disabilities.

“Through this project, we are building an environment based on diversity and inclusion,” says Eileen Sowunmi, a third-year sociology, co-operative education student who has helped develop the CIBC Navigator Program from the student perspective. “Initiatives like this help reduce the stigma surrounding people with disabilities. With different forms of accommodation, such as adaptive technology, students with disabilities are able to flourish in various work environments, benefiting themselves and employers.”

Co-operative education combines real-world work experience with academic studies. Its benefits are many, including allowing students to explore a variety of employment sectors, develop valuable research skills for future work experience or graduate school, aid in the transition to a career upon graduation, increase students’ marketability after graduation and more.

In addition to tangible skill development such as interpersonal, planning, team and problem-solving skills, co-operative education experiences increase social and community connections for students and enhance a sense of belonging, self-identity, confidence and purpose. Many students with disabilities are hampered in accessing these benefits because the framework to help them into the workplace does not exist.

“As an institution we are strongly committed to inclusion by supporting the development of disability-confident and inclusive co-op placements,” says Jasminn Berteotti, the U of L’s director of Co-operative Education and Applied Studies. “I have seen how co-op experiences empower students by providing them with meaningful and paid career-related opportunities. With CIBC’s support, we intend to continue this legacy and ensure these impactful experiences are also accessible to our students with disabilities.”

The yearly funds will support the hiring of a program developer and navigator, a hiring subsidy for employers, and scholarships for students selected to participate in the program. The first year will see three students selected to take part.

“We believe the CIBC Navigator program will have a strong impact on the students’ competitiveness in the labour market and enable them to be full participants in our economy,” says Per Humle, senior vice-president, Alberta and Central Canada, Personal and Small Business Banking. “This, in turn, will also lead to increased social and community connections and help build a sense of belonging and future opportunities.”

The investment by CIBC is part of the U of L’s SHINE campaign and highlights the corporate community’s involvement in supporting students and promoting opportunities for them to thrive while working to achieve their academic goals.

“This is a great example of the corporate community partnering with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to create positive change and generate economic opportunities for all,” says Mark Slomp, executive director of Student Services at the U of L.

Community organizations collaborate to assist local employers in accessing federal funds, hiring

trevor.kenney — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 16:55:53 +0000

Southern Alberta employers are invited to join ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Co-operative Education (Co-op) programs, the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Lethbridge, for a brief presentation on how U of L co-op students can meet their hiring needs, all with the assistance of federal wage subsidies.

Find & Fund Your Workforce is a brief workshop for local employers that will outline how U of L co-op students can satisfy hiring and/or project needs. It will take place on Friday, January 24 at 8 a.m. at Tecconnect. Individuals can register to attend in person or via webinar at findandfundlethbridge.eventbrite.com.

“We will share valuable information on how employers can access up to $7,000 per student in co-op wage subsidies through the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP),” says Jasminn Berteotti, the U of L’s director, Co-operative Education. “SWPP is a federally-funded program that represents all industry types to create new co-op opportunities for post-secondary students.”

In the federal government’s Budget 2019, $631.2 million was allocated over a five-year span to provide wage subsidies for Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities with a goal of creating 84,000 new opportunities per year.

Cole named Co-op Student of the Year

trevor.kenney — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 22:01:48 +0000

The Career Bridge (Co-operative Education and Applied Studies) team at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is proud to kick off National Co-operative Education Week (Mar. 19-23) by announcing the 2017 U of L Co-op Student of the Year, Kyle Cole.

Cole, originally from Lethbridge, is currently in his fourth year of a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and has completed three co-op work terms with two different employers, totaling 12 months of work experience. His commitment to his academic responsibilities and work-integrated learning, along with his advocacy and stewardship of the Co-operative Education program are significant and noteworthy.

Kyle Cole completed three co-op work terms with two different employers, totaling 12 months of work experience.

“I can genuinely say that the co-operative education experience has changed my life in many ways. The professional and personal opportunities that I was exposed to during my work terms provided me with skills, insight, perspective and drive like nothing before,” explains Cole, who receives a $500 cash award.

During his last eight-month co-op experience (May-December 2017), Cole was working in the Career Bridge office as the special project assistant for the Orbis Implementation – a platform that is now being used to merge several decentralized co-op programs into a unified centralized portal. In addition to the Orbis project, Kyle has become an incredible champion of co-op through regular participation in numerous student and employer engagement activities. He has quickly become a wonderful mentor to other co-op ambassadors and maintains an articulate public speaking presence that is incredibly impactful.

“Having worked with thousands of students over the last 20 years, Kyle stood out as a superstar because he possesses an incredible balance of professionalism, humility and unmatched work ethic,” says Jasminn Berteotti, director of Co-operative Education and Applied Studies.

"Our communities across Canada thrive when our young people, the workforce of the future, come together with today’s leaders to fuel intellectual and economic growth. For over 50 years, co-operative education has built and supported this relationship between students in Canadian colleges and universities, and employer organizations who value newly developed skills and fresh, innovative ideas. Canada wins with this mode of education that the universities and colleges offer to their students – upon graduation, the country gains a select group of individuals that have been trained in a work-integrated environment who will enter the workforce with key employment skills. Canadian employers value these graduates and are able to utilize them upon hiring for permanent positions. Co-op practitioners and institutions should be proud of themselves and their colleagues that are committed to dedicating their time and energy to ensure there are job opportunities for students seeking co-op work terms. Moreover, we have to thank those employers that provide work-integrated experiences for the students in partnership with the educational institutions."

Cole also had a work experience at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

National Co-op Week Kick-off and Celebration
Mon, March 19 | 12 – 3 p.m. | Career Bridge office (AH151)
Anyone is welcome to attend this free event to celebrate Co-op week and enjoy some lemonade, cake, and popcorn.

Social Media Contest
Co-op students from across the country are encouraged to participate in this challenge-a-day contest on social media. Grand prize winners get to choose a $50 gift card to any of the following: Amazon, Kelsey’s, Winners, Canadian Tire, Walmart, Best Buy. Whether you're on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram, you can share your experience, follow the contest and other Co-op & WIL Week updates using the official hashtags: #CoopWeek and #WILWeek. Follow #HireStudents for tweets and posts from employers or visit the LinkedIn group for employers.

For more information about National Co-operative Education and WIL Week, click here.

If you would like to find out more about Co-operative Education and the services offered by Career Bridge, visit the office in AH151 or ulethbridge.ca/career-bridge

UNews - Jasminn Berteotti

CIBC Navigator Program designed to empower students with disabilities

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Community organizations collaborate to assist local employers in accessing federal funds, hiring

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