Work to Learn, Learn to Work: Fueling Business with Student Talent

Students learning in the workplace gain real-world skills while contributing meaningful results to help your business grow and become future-ready.

The Okanagan is a vibrant and growing region. People are drawn not only to “lake life” but also the dynamic opportunities afforded by living and working here. It’s evident on the campuses of Okanagan College (OC), where a new food, wine and tourism centre is going up, making room for more students to take advantage of all the college has to offer. 

An integral part of many students’ paths involves Work-Integrated Learning (WIL). WIL programs, which give students a chance to work with local employers across industries as part of their formal education, such as co-ops, practicums, and internships have been part of OC’s repertoire for more than 30 years. Now, in partnership with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable, and with support from the Government of Canada, the college is making it easier than ever for employers to connect with the next generation of innovators through OC Works. 

“OC Works is going to target around 30,000 employers in the Okanagan,” explains Alison Gibson, Dean of Careers and Community Engagement at Okanagan College. “These employers can access local student talent, saving them costs, and hopefully continuing to work with those students after they finish their studies, which is a great hiring pathway and way to develop a talent pipeline.” 

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Student hiring made seamless 

The OC Works landing page with an AI virtual assistant, launching at the end of March, will be a one stop shop for employers to explore how to access emerging OC talent, fresh perspectives, reduced recruitment costs and access to government funding for WIL job creation. 

“A big piece of what we’re building with OC Works is an AI virtual assistant, enabling employers to tap into their options and information about WIL, 24/7,” says Gibson. “It allows them to explore, to ask questions, to get more information in a way that works when they have time to engage.” The AI assistant will complement the online resources, helping employers find out about OC’s WIL programs across industries. Through a series of questions to determine workforce needs, including required skill set, experience level, and time commitment (from quick two-week projects that require help to more extensive multiple semester endeavors), the AI will provide information about WIL programs as well as grants and subsidies, to match employer needs. This is followed up by a more nuanced discussion with a person on OC’s careers team.

Employers are also provided assistance with WIL set-up and onboarding. Employer WIL online orientation sessions help make participation easy, optimizing benefits for businesses and organizations small, medium and large.

If your business is ready to harness flexibility and innovation, it’s time to connect with OC Works to find out more about WIL opportunities at Okanagan College.

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Visit OC-Works.ca to start putting the power of cost-effective hiring and an engaged student talent pipeline to work for you.