UNews - Nintendo

Co-op, connecting students with business for 20 years

trevor.kenney — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:23:11 +0000

In 1991, Brian Mulroney was Prime Minister, the World Wide Web became publicly available on the Internet, the Soviet Union dissolved, Super Nintendo was released in North America and the Management Co-operative Education program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, the first program of its kind in Alberta, was born.

"Co-op combines the theoretical knowledge of the classroom with hands-on education found in the workplace. Experiential learning is one of the best ways to develop new skills," says Dr. Mary Thompson, who became the program's director in its second year and helped shape it for the next 10 years.

With her background as a professional recruiter, Thompson introduced a client-centred approach to the program, which ensured it met the changing needs of the business community.

Steve Craig and Dr. Mary Thompson are keen on getting students co-op placements that will further their career goals.

"We explored what we could do for employers," she says. "And that focus also ensured success for our students because we prepared them well with workshops and one-on-one counselling before sending them to employers."

Thompson stresses that the program was built and refined based on scholarly research.

"We researched business trends and learning curves," she says.

As a result of that research the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge was the first co-op program in Western Canada to move away from the standard four-month work terms to longer work placements, ranging from eight to 16 months.

"We discovered that four months was just not long enough," says Thompson. "We were able to extend the placements because we had the hard evidence that proved their value. We were leaders in removing rigidity from the program, which was really advantageous for both students and employers."

It was also under Thompson that the co-op office started providing placements for its own students as junior administrators in the program.

"We were unique in that we used co-op in co-op," she says with a smile.

Steve Craig, the current director of the program, was one of those students who did his work placement in the U of L co-op office.

"We just never let him leave," she says. "He's doing a fabulous job now as director."

Co-op continues to work well for students and employers.

"The real beauty of the program is that it is multi-pronged," says Craig. "Co-op is more than a job experience; it can really broaden a student's horizons. Students benefit from having mentors in their workplace, obtaining work experience, making valuable connections in their industry and finding their fit. They also bring what they have learned back into the classroom, which enriches learning for other students."

Co-op placements also enable students to explore possible career directions.

"My co-op placement launched my career in the oil-and-gas industry. I was able to try on a business that I really knew nothing about," says Thomas Latta (BMgt '97), who was hired full time after his placement and is now manager of Operations, Accounting and Finance Solutions for Enerplus Corporation in Calgary. "I discovered I really liked the work and the industry. The placement helped me discover what the industry was all about and gave me a career direction."

Students have worked locally, provincially and internationally in places as far afield as France, Ireland, Ghana, Botswana, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Africa and India.

"The lower cost of living, as well as the uniqueness and relevance of emerging economies, make it interesting and possible for students wanting to do an international placement," Craig says.

Over the past 20 years, participation in the program has grown.

"In its first year co-op had three students," says Craig. "In 2010, more than 200 work terms were completed by students in the Faculty of Management."

For 20 years co-op has continued to develop and maintain successful relationships with businesses across the country and beyond.

"The relationships are important," says Craig. "We are pleased that alumni of our program think so much of it that once they are in positions to do so, they hire U of L co-op students."

Employers benefit from co-op, too. Businesses can use co-op placements to fill short-term needs and work with prospective employees before making a long-term commitment. For many companies, co-op students have become part of their recruiting strategy.

"The companies I've worked for consider co-op students a key part of staff development," says Latta. "At Enerplus, we are building our co-op component and recognize the value in seeing prospective employees at work before we hire them permanently. If we have an open position, we will look at our co-op students first because with them we already know there is a good fit."

Co-op continues to be a win-win-win situation for students, businesses and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

"It provides employers with motivated and intelligent employees now and potentially for the future, while offering students an opportunity to learn and develop as professionals and determine a career fit," says Craig. "I see the value of co-op continuing for everyone involved."

New media degree has Mass Effect on Kinley

trevor.kenney — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:51:58 +0000

Brad Kinley's (BFA '04) career path came down to a couple key decisions – one that was well researched and another that was off the cuff. Now, the U of L alumnus is one of the key cogs behind the mass appeal of Mass Effect 2, one of the most popular and highly rated games ever made for the Xbox platform.

"I had an interest in games forever. It started with an Atari 2600 when I was a kid, and from then on I was hooked," he says. "I've always been a gamer so to be able to develop games now as a character animator is amazing."

Kinley, 27, works for the Canadian-based company BioWare, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts, one of the world's largest developers and distributors of video games. His path to BioWare began in the U of L's new media program.

Calgary born, Kinley visited the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ before applying. He spoke with professors, sat in on a few classes and was impressed. While friends of his opted to pursue certificates or diplomas from schools and colleges, Kinley liked the security promised by a university degree.

"It was a very new program and I guess I was taking a bit of a chance but the U of L is a well recognized institution," he says. "It was much less risky than going with a lot of the other schools at that time that are now closed. I had friends going into one-year programs for highly technical things, but I thought the BFA would always be useful and applicable regardless of what I ended up doing."

That decision was well thought out, while the one that really set his path was more of an after-thought.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ brings in really great guest speakers and John Carr from Pixar came in to talk and I remember telling a friend who'd missed the talk that it was life-changing," says Kinley. "Seeing what he does and his approach to the whole process of character animation kind of crystallized what I wanted to do. It might sound cheesy but that's exactly what I wanted to do."

With a goal in mind, Kinley worked with the new media professors to specialize his interests. He retook an animation class he'd enjoyed and focused his studies on applications that would relate to animation.

"All my other classes I would work to relate it back to animation because that was my key interest," he says. "I received a lot of support once I decided what I wanted to do. James (Graham), (Dr. Will Smith) and all the professors that were here worked really hard to make sure I had access to opportunities I wouldn't have had otherwise."

Before long, the work he was doing in class was translating into the real world. He worked one summer at WhiteIron Digital, a leading visual effect and design company for the broadcast community, eventually completing his U of L internship there.

"All the graphics and designs they were working with at the time were all 2D and I came with a 3D background and I knew how to render and composite and animate," Kinley says.

He made his way into BioWare after completing post-graduate work at Sheridan College in Ontario. It brought him back to his native Alberta and gave Kinley the opportunity for which he'd been preparing.

"There are things you learn in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ that you think are not applicable at all, until you go out working and you realize they are," he says. "It can happen on that first day or even two years later when you say, 'I'm sure glad I took that sculpture class because all of a sudden it's hugely applicable and I now have a basis for moving on and learning more about it'."

Kinley returned to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in January and gave a presentation to another generation of new media students.

"I know how influential my exposure was to somebody actually working in the business," he says. "If I can lend a little knowledge or inspiration to someone else, hopefully it will help them the way it helped me."

GET THE FACTS

• Kinley is currently working on the development of Mass Effect 3.

• Mass Effect 2 was given a 96 per cent approval rating by the website Metacritic, tied for second all-time. Only Grand Theft Auto IV, at 98 per cent, rates higher.

• Kinley admits he rarely gets a chance to play games. "A lot of it is a time thing but I still like to see what other games look like. The unfortunate thing is I get critical with them when I try and play, I'm always looking at what I would change or think I could do better."

• One of Kinley's earliest jobs was with Nintendo, as a game promoter.

Career Fair a starting point

trevor.kenney — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:53:37 +0000

"Start Here . . . Go Anywhere" is the theme of this year's annual Career Fair and with over 80 organizations attending, that possibility certainly exists.

Scheduled for Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport & Wellness, the Career Fair is venturing away from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall Atrium for the first time ever.

Students, graduates, staff and faculty of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, as well as members of the community, Lethbridge College and surrounding areas are all welcome to take part in the Career Fair, with admission free of charge.

"The Career Fair is an opportunity for students to explore careers and gain information that can help them make solid career decisions," Pat Tanaka, director of Career and Employment Services says.

Aside from hosting Career Fair, Career and Employment Services (CES) offers job search-related help for students and graduates of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

With the state of the economy, one might think that employers have stopped looking for new employees but that couldn't be further from the truth. Instead, they are looking towards succession planning by continuing to hire new graduates.

"Employers are not at a standstill by any means," says Tanaka. "We hope students attending the Career Fair will gather ideas, learn about options available to them once they complete their degree, and begin establishing methods of pursuing these options."

The theme, "Start Here . . . Go Anywhere" is intended to give students a positive and encouraging outlook on their future careers.

"Students start their career journey at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, exploring options and disciplines while gaining skills and being exposed to new ideas and concepts," Tanaka says. "Through the Career Fair we also encourage them to start building relationships with people in their field of interest.

"We want students to know what with the right preparation and motivation they can 'Go Anywhere' – whether it is around the world or just around the corner, the possibilities are endless!"

Of the 80 organizations scheduled to attend Career Fair, newcomers such as Canadian Hydro, Swap - the Adventure Travel Company, Lethbridge Community Network and Nerds On Site will be on hand. Also attending are some 20-year veterans of the event, including: Alberta Employment and Immigration, ATB Financial and Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre.
For a complete list of participants visit www.uleth.ca/ross/ces

GET THE FACTS

• Career Fair 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of Career and Employment Services organizing career events on campus.

• A showcase of artwork designed for previous career fairs will be on display.

• The Career Fair game "Sign Post-it" will debut. Designed to facilitate interaction between employers and attendees, the person who collects the most signposts has a chance to win a Nintendo Wii.

• CES is in need of volunteers for Career Fair 2009. E-mail ces.volunteers@uleth.ca or visit B610 if you are interested.

Career Fair a starting point

trevor.kenney — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:57:44 +0000

"Start Here . . . Go Anywhere" is the theme of this year's annual Career Fair and with over 80 organizations attending, that possibility certainly exists.

Scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 30, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport & Wellness, the Career Fair is venturing away from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall Atrium for the first time ever.

"The Career Fair is an opportunity for students to explore careers and gain information that can help them make solid career decisions," Pat Tanaka, director of Career and Employment Services says.

Aside from hosting Career Fair, Career and Employment Services (CES) offers job search-related help for students and graduates of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

The theme, "Start Here . . . Go Anywhere" is intended to give students a positive and encouraging outlook on their future careers.

"We want students to know what with the right preparation and motivation they can 'Go Anywhere' – whether it is around the world or just around the corner, the possibilities are endless!"

GET THE FACTS

• Career Fair 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of Career and Employment Services organizing career events on campus.

• A showcase of artwork designed for previous career fairs will be on display.

• The Career Fair game "Sign Post-it" will debut. Designed to facilitate interaction between employers and attendees, the person who collects the most signposts has a chance to win a Nintendo Wii.

• CES is in need of volunteers for Career Fair 2009. E-mail ces.volunteers@uleth.ca or visit B610 if you are interested.

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