IIMPACT MPACT REPORT REPORT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We acknowledge that the lands on which Memorial University’s campuses are situated are in the traditional territories of diverse Indigenous groups, and we acknowledge with respect the diverse histories and cultures of the Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, Innu, and Inuit of this province.
BACKGROUND:
Offered in partnership by Career Development and the Internationalization Office at Memorial University since 2010, the Professional Skills Development Program (PSDP) is a free, non-credit program designed to equip international students with the foundational skills and knowledge needed to prepare for professional employment in Canada.
CORE PROGRAM:
ABOUT THE PSDP Workshop
The curricular component of the program through which students are introduced to key concepts and best practices on various topics as they relate to career development, career planning, and the job market. comprises six interactive workshops
Attendance is mandatory where the purpose of the workshops is to promote active engagement with the core content, help participants build connections, encourage collaborative learning and intercultural understanding, and to provide students with the opportunity to practice their communication skills and professionalism.
Topics:
Career Exploration
Skills Identification
Resume & Cover Letters
Job Searching
Networking
Using LinkedIn
Interview Skills & Strategies
Labour Standards
Intercultural Communication
To support the learning process, participants are also required to complete reflections corresponding to each workshop presentation. The purpose of these assignments is to give students the time and space to independently activate their critical thinking skills, synthesize information presented in the workshops and dive deeper into their own learning. Personalized feedback for each of these reflections is provided by the PSDP facilitator.
Finally, students are required to submit independently-arranged “deliverables” which represent the primary experiential component of the PSDP. Through these applied experiences, students bring their learning to life in real-world environments, putting into practice some of the critical knowledge and skills discussed during the program.
Deliverables (Experiential Activities):
As evident from the above, completion of the PSDP can represent a significant commitment: generally speaking, participants dedicate approximately 30 hours of their time to complete the core program. To recognize their energy and dedication to both the program and their personal development, students who successfully achieve all requirements of the PSDP are formally awarded a certificate at the end of the academic semester.
GLOBAL SKILLS EXCHANGE 2 PROJECT THE
The Global Skills Exchange (GSE) initiative is a provincially-funded project which links international students and employers together through paid Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) placements. Intended to boost regional social and economic outcomes in line with the Atlantic Growth Strategy, the primary goals of the GSE initiative are to:
Support the growth, innovation, and development of local organizations; and Strengthen the employment ecosystem by promoting the labour market attachment of skilled international students already in the province.
Access to the labour market is a key consideration for newcomers and prospective immigrants when choosing to settle in the province. However, many face barriers to employment upon their arrival, ranging from work hour restrictions, cultural alienation and a lack of recognition of prior credentials or experience Underemployment is also a common issue among skilled newcomer populations, where the need to take on casual work for the sake of financial security can often interfere with career growth and perceived employability after graduation.
2023-2024 Global Skills Exchange at a Glance:
60-hour paid WIL experiences with a focus on collaborative and meaningful work
Open to both undergraduate and graduate level students enrolled in the PSDP
Placements in any field of interest including STEM, Business, Research & Non-Profit
By embedding WIL experiences into existing programs like the PSDP, we have been able to improve labour market access for international students, significantly enhancing the province's ability to support, integrate and retain those who are both invested and interested in contributing to the local workforce.
History
Initial iterations of the Global Skills Exchange were first piloted in spring 2022. In an effort to remain responsive to the changing landscapes of both the labour market and immigration, the format of the WIL placements have evolved over time based on work permit conditions, the need for students to balance academic and non-academic commitments, and ongoing feedback from both employers and participants.
EMPLOYER SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS
All data sourced from surveys conducted from Fall 2022 to Winter 2024 (n = 42)
of employer respondents reported a “Very Enjoyable” or “Enjoyable” hosting experience 93%
78% 95%
satisfaction rate of employer respondents
of employer respondents agreed or strongly agreed that hosting a PSDP student was a valuable experience 90%
“How satisfied were you with your PSDP student's work?”
91% of employers would consider hosting another PSDP student in the future. Maybe 9%
EMPLOYER FEEDBACK
Access to Skilled Talent
Targeted Task
“This program has really allowed me to access students with skills that I wouldn't easily have access to.” “Being able to bring in someone or a group of three, as I did this term to target a specific task is very useful.”
Fulfillment
“The students are creative and dedicated, and they really 'gelled' this semester.”
Long-Term Potential for Collaboration
Creative and Dedicated Workers
“Two of my students want to continue working with me next semester, and they have concrete ideas of how to continue the project. ”
“We didn't quite know how this would look but are we ever pleased with the outcome! It has been a boost, not only to our business, but to us personally. We have made a lifelong friend, and are humbled by being a small part of their journey!”
Cultural Exchange
Meaningful Partnerships & Increased Productivity
“It was very interesting to get their insights into their time in Canada, both academically and professionally.”
“I am now a reference for our student in the real world. I look forward to participating again.” Career Connections
Reciprocity
“We learned from her as much as we provided her with work experience ”
STUDENT SURVEY
90% of students respondents agreed that they were able to apply skills and competencies covered in the PSDP to their placement 84%
of students respondents agreed that participating in a WIL initiative helped improve their understanding of local workplace culture and best practices
87% n = 78 of students respondents agreed that assigned tasks were appropriate, rewarding and fulfilling n = 78
of student respondents agreed that participating in a WIL placement helped advance their career goals
92% n = 85
of student respondents agreed that participating in a WIL initiative helped expand their network
STUDENT FEEDBACK
Targeted Skills Development
Relevant
“My placement was meaningful because it was my first job related to my degree in Canada. I’ve held part-time jobs but none have been related to my major ” “I purposely applied for this to polish my soft skills such as communication, real-time decision-making, and adaptability.”
“It made me aware of the goals and expectations of the Canadian workplace, and also provided me with insights into what work ethic here really looks like.”
Career Mentorship
Work Experience
Cultural Acclimation
“My colleagues gave me advice on how to build my career and provided me with resources to further my education.”
”I was privileged to be a part of a team of experts. This internship opened my eyes and helped me determine what area of finance I want to specialize in.”
Networking Opportunities
Industry Expertise ”I developed professional skills and connections and met lots of great people.”
“One of my proudest moments was when I was given a new layout to integrate into my project. I took feedback from my colleagues and the layout came out exactly as we planned. I was thrilled at that moment to show my work.”
Skills Translation
Rewarding Projects
“I learned how work is done here, and got the opportunity to practice what I have learned at school ”
OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS 5
While there is strong evidence of the project’s overarching success, we understand the
economic landscape. We hope to position future iterations of the GSE to tackle some of need for continuous improvement and adaptability to meet the evolving demands of today’s the ongoing challenges we have encountered alongside our stakeholders, as described here.
1 LIMITED WORK HOURS
In providing feedback for both the 30- and 60-hour placement formats, some employers and students wished for more time to work with one another to allow for more training and to achieve higher quality results.
Potential Solution: INCREASE PLACEMENT HOURS
Where placements are restricted to take place within a semester and outside of exam period, students and employers have reported that expanding the window to complete training, mentoring and supervision of projects could lead to a more ideal experience.
Potential Solution:
Students without access to a reliable method of transportation can face challenges commuting to certain places of work, limiting partnerships.
3 ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION
Potential Solution: FUND TRANSPORTATION
Students and employers enter placements with varying degrees of intercultural understanding. Where scheduling conflicts, the option for remote work, and changing priorities can sometimes lead to reduced contact time and supervision, encouraging further awareness about workplace norms and common communication pitfalls can help to mitigate and/or resolve misaligned expectations.
Potential Solution: INCREASED DIVERSITY TRAINING
4 INTERCULTURAL ADJUSTMENT
5
Certain organizations and industries especially in disciplines of high interest to students (e.g. engineering and technology)—have HR policies and/or credentialing standards that restrict opportunities for placements, resulting in low availability of quality WIL in certain fields Moreover, fiscal year timelines do not always align with schedules of study, leaving some students without the opportunity to participate in placements before graduation. Finally, some employers have expressed a desire to retain their students but do not have the financial means to do so.
Potential Solution: PROGRAM EXPANSION
independently on new tasks and execute them with little guidance has proven to be very beneficial for us as a company, especially with our ongoing project. He is very proactive, communicates clearly and is detailed-oriented. He has completed work so far with our supply
chain, planning and finance teams. He asks questions up front to
ensure he fully understands the task he has been asked to complete; the feedback from the individuals working with him has been fantastic.
Our student has been a great asset to the team. His ability to work 6 S T O R I E S & I N S I G H T S / /
He will certainly make a great addition to any team in the future.
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this program, but I have to say that our experience has been fantastic!
Our student fit in well with our office dynamic and did great work with our marketing team, re-working our main website, assisting me with some tasks and troubleshooting of one of our flagship products. He’s an excellent developer and we ’ re sad to see him leave us so soon!
I wanted to express our for sincere appreciation
We would be thrilled to be considered for future internships and wish our student all the best in his future endeavours!
Our organization's experience with the program has been exceptionally positive.
Hosting a group of talented and motivated students through our short internship initiative not only enriched our team with diverse skills but also contributed significantly to our projects, making the program highly recommended for prospective partners seeking dynamic and skilled interns.
S T O R I E S & I N S I G H T S
This innovative program has been a game-changer for our startup, pairing us with some of the brightest minds for work placements that have not only contributed to our company ' s growth but have also enriched our team's dynamics It's not every day that you come across a program that truly revolutionizes the way we think about education and industry collaboration. We've had the privilege of welcoming talented students into our fold, each bringing fresh perspectives, invigorating energy, and a drive that propels us forward. It's a win-win: as they contribute to our success, we provide a nurturing ground for them to achieve their career aspirations. It's not just about providing a place to work; it's
If you invest the effort, the outcomes and student work is some of the best you will see! S T
Thanks so much for the opportunity to host two students through the PSDP. We couldn't be more pleased with all of their hard work and desire to learn.
One spent the semester creating an interactive data visualization page that shows how the prices of key grocery items have changed over the past few years. He coded from scratch a heat map table and line charts that can be filtered using a food price dataset. When finalized, this project will be displayed on our website and we plan to share it with community organizations that could benefit from such insights. We are trying our best to rehire him next semester for a work term to help us with an upcoming project!
Our other student led our annual Research Week event to success. She was involved in every step of the event planning process from idea generation to welcoming students to the event. She managed an ongoing list of items that needed to be completed, designed the event posters and advertisements for social media, and much more. Everyone in the office that saw her organized planning documents were fascinated and inspired to approach their own work in the same way. She was a fantastic addition to our team and we couldn't have hosted such a great event without her!
S T O R I E S & I N S I G H T S
