Work experience helps prep students for their chosen careers, and the provincial government has given an infusion of cash to Kwantlen Polytechnic University to help make such placements possible.
Langley MLAs Andrew Mercier and Megan Dykeman confirmed KPU is receiving $125,000 in support of more co-op and work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities.
It’s part of a $5.5 million one-time funding announcement made Friday, that will see the co-op and WIL programs expanded at 25 public, post-secondary institutions (and a total of 46 projects) in B.C.
“By providing students with hands-on learning opportunities during their degrees, we strengthen our workforce. Co-op and work-integrated learning placements ensure that we are setting students up for success as they exit post-secondary and enter the workforce, whether it be in environmental protection technology, human resources, or a variety of other programs across the province. The sky is the limit,” said Mercier, MLA for Langley.
KPU will receive $124,681 to support multiple programs with the museum and non-profit sector startup in partnership with the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce, the Township of Langley, Kwantlen First Nation, as well as a few other partners creating placements for students in the non-profit and cultural sectors.
“Our government knows it is important to provide students with work experience that they can take back to their communities, and it’s great to see that the programs we are supporting at Kwantlen have such a strong local lens,” said Dykeman, MLA for Langley East.
“These work placements are going to benefit students and employers here in Langley and across British Columbia,” she added.
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This one-time funding will expand co-op and work-integrated learning programs focussed on placements in sectors impacted by the pandemic. B.C. wide, it’s expected to create up to 3,000 new co-op and work-integrated learning placements for students.
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