UNews - Career Services

Career Bridge a hub for ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students to advance career preparedness

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 16:52:02 +0000

Transitioning from an academic experience to a professional career is streamlined for ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students who take advantage of work-integrated learning (WIL), experiential learning and career services opportunities. The U of L’s new hub for these activities, Career Bridge: Centre for Work-Integrated Learning and Career Development, is now open.

Career Bridge consists of a powerhouse lineup featuring Co-op, Applied Studies, Career Services and an Experiential Transcript Advisor.

Career Bridge consists of a powerhouse lineup featuring Co-op, Applied Studies, Career Services and an Experiential Transcript Advisor. Its mandate is to offer exceptional work-integrated learning, experiential learning and career services so that every participating student can benefit from an outstanding academic and professional development experience.

“Career Bridge is available to all U of L students and opens the door to more collaboration with employers who are looking for top-quality graduates with 21st century skills who will help build the economy in Alberta and beyond,” says Dr. Erasmus Okine, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s provost and vice-president (academic).

“We recognize that experience matters. Work-integrated learning and career development are critical to supporting and enhancing educational and professional outcomes,” says Stacey Gaudette-Sharp, program coordinator and instructor. “By housing WIL programs and service-based career development under one roof, we are better able to position students to integrate theory with practice and to work collaboratively with our industry partners, local business and not-for-profit organizations to achieve their goals while supporting a thriving community.”

The centre will focus on increasing opportunities for all students, including developing personal and professional competencies as well as providing tools and resources to support and track curricular and co-curricular accomplishments via an experiential transcript. The My Experience Transcript (MET) complements the academic transcript and is being designed to reflect a student’s curricular and co-curricular experiential learning opportunities, giving students a well-rounded summary of their university career as they transition to the professional world.

“We are so excited by the potential for our students via Career Bridge,” says Dr. Mark Slomp, executive director of Student Services. “The U of L is a leader in creating and capturing the value of WIL opportunities and advancing student career development and lifelong learning.”

The restructuring and grouping of activities and resources under Career Bridge will strengthen their profile and reputation on campus and in the community for delivering high-quality programs and services.

“Our mission is to build bridges between purpose, practice and possibility,” says Gaudette-Sharp. “With this philosophy in mind, I believe our community — our students, employers and civic partners, faculty and staff — can achieve anything we put our minds and hands to.”

Students can visit myexperience.uleth.ca or uleth.ca/career-bridge for more information on career-building options. From the myexperience.uleth.ca portal students can apply to the Co-op program, register for workshops and events like Career Fair (Sept. 28), and book appointments with career specialists and co-op coordinators. Employers can also access the Career Bridge web page and create an account to post positions or inquire about hosting information sessions or professional development events.

Work-integrated learning opportunities the focus of new Student Experiential Learning and Career Hub

trevor.kenney — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 17:34:57 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will bring together its co-op, applied studies, MyExperience transcript and career services groups to create a hub to elevate work-integrated learning opportunities for its students.

The Student Experiential Learning and Career Hub will launch in early September and support all U of L students at its Calgary and Lethbridge campuses.

The Student Experiential Learning and Career Hub will launch in early September and support all U of L students at its Calgary and Lethbridge campuses. The hub will feature a strong relationship with all ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Faculties and be critical in further connecting the U of L’s exceptional classroom experience to a range of personal development opportunities. The creation of a new Experiential Learning Academic Council to support the work of the hub will ensure connection to academic programming as well as community and industry partners.

“Work integrated learning opportunities equip our students with the tools that will make them successful in their careers and difference makers in their communities,” says Mike Mahon, president and vice-chancellor. “The creation of the Student Experiential Learning and Career Hub ensures our students are able to participate in expanded opportunities through employment, volunteerism or applied study.”

The launch of the hub follows last year’s creation of the MyExperience transcript, which complements the academic transcript and is being designed to reflect a student’s curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular experiential learning opportunities. The MyExperience transcript gives students a well-rounded summary of their ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ career as they transition to the professional world.

The work to create a hub started with the creation of a task force, which was assigned to review the current structure supporting the delivery of co-op, applied studies and career services. The purpose was two-fold: to build on existing strengths to enhance the delivery of experiential learning for students and to improve the sustainability of the services, given current financial constraints.

“All post-secondaries are being challenged in these times of fiscal restraint and by the COVID-19 pandemic. This transformation will ensure we are able to continue to offer the supportive student environment for which we are known,” says Mahon. “The consolidation of these services is done in a strategic manner to ensure we continue to provide an exceptional student experience.”

The U of L is consistently recognized for its strong commitment to providing students the supports they need for success. Over the past five years, the U of L has consistently ranked as a national leader in delivering student support programming.

Associate Vice-President (Students), Kathleen Massey, says the establishment of a new hub is critical in ensuring students are connected to a variety of opportunities in the many communities the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ serves.

“Experiential learning is so beneficial for students, and it is a message we hear repeatedly from our alumni after they graduate from the U of L. It is also an exercise that greatly benefits many stakeholders. The impact our students make on the world as they embrace these activities is great and continues well after students conclude their academic journey with us,” says Massey.

Leading up to the fall launch, a university-wide strategic plan on work integrated learning and experiential learning will be written to guide the direction of the consolidated hub.

UNews - Career Services

Career Bridge a hub for ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students to advance career preparedness

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Work-integrated learning opportunities the focus of new Student Experiential Learning and Career Hub

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Career Bridge a hub for ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students to advance career preparedness