Industry Partner of the Year
This Award recognizes those ACE-WIL industry partners that have demonstrated a strong commitment to co-operative education and work-integrated learning (WIL), through the support and hiring of WIL students and/or have shown a high level of overall support of our association through specific partnerships.
The Industry Partner of the Year will be recognized with a plaque, gift and letter of appreciation.
ACE-WIL member institutions are encouraged to nominate ONE candidate with the approval of the industry partner involved. All nomination materials become the property of ACE-WIL to be used in promoting work-integrated learning.
ELIGIBILITY
Any ACE-WIL member in good standing may nominate an industry partner for this recognition. The nominated industry partners are reviewed and considered by the ACE-WIL Awards Committee based on their contributions within the past calendar year.
SELECTION CRITERIA
- Significant involvement with or outstanding contributions to projects or initiatives that benefit WIL provincially (i.e., research, sponsorship, advisory committee participation, etc.)
- Consistent record of hiring WIL students and providing them with high-quality learning opportunities
- Provided student(s) with a designated mentor, additional training opportunities, professional development and critical work-place challenges
- Created additional value by allowing student to expand their original job description to match their career goals or professional interests
- Allowed students to attend decision-making meetings or become involved in challenging projects or assignments beyond the scope of the original job posting
- Provided an above-average opportunity for the student to gain skills, experiences and leadership that would surpass a typical WIL opportunity
- Attended or supported on-campus events, including career fairs, information sessions, interview clinics, networking events, poster or debriefing sessions, etc.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The ACE-WIL Awards Committee will use the criteria listed below to evaluate nominees. Nominees are scored initially on a scale of 50 and the value of each criterion is indicated in brackets. Subsequent review within the committee of the merits of top candidates (based on initial scores) helps to determine the overall winner.
- (15 points) Contribution to Co-operative Education and/or Work Integrated Learning (e.g., supporting on-campus events, either financially or with in-kind support, attending information sessions, career fairs, interview clinics, networking events, guest speakers, speaker panels, attending poster or debriefing sessions, etc.)
- (10 points) Quality of the experience (e.g., link with education, depth of work experience, level of responsibility, access to challenging projects or assignments, etc.)
- (10 points) Provision for a professional growth experience – career, competency and/or academic development (e.g., Professional Development, memberships or participation in professional associations, etc.)
- (10 points) The mentoring relationship provided to the student during the work term (e.g., providing networking and informational interview opportunities with other professionals, providing career development advice and guidance, etc.)
- (5 points) Evaluator assessment and recognition of additional qualities of nominee
NOMINATE AN INDUSTRY PARTNER
- The call for nominations and distribution of Nomination Forms to all ACE-WIL members takes place in January each year.
- Completed forms to be sent to ACE-WIL Awards Committee Chair no later than March 13, 2020.
- Awards Committee to bring recommendation(s) to the ACE-WIL Board. Board has an opportunity to present further nominations.
- Awards to be presented at the ACE-WIL AGM in May 2020.
Download the Nomination Package
One (1) PDF electronic document of all completed nomination materials must be RECEIVED by close of business (4:30 p.m., Pacific Standard Time) on Friday, MARCH 13, 2020 via email c/o:
Sue Stanley, ACE-WIL Co-op Industry Partner of the Year Committee Chair (email: sstanley@sfu.ca)
Nomination packages MUST be one (1) PDF electronic document of the following items presented in the order below:
- Nomination form including industry partner’s signature
- Nominator/Institution’s letter on letterhead, signed by the same person noted on the nomination form, (one (1) typewritten letter, two (2) pages maximum)
- Hiring history (last 3 years)
- Optional: Student testimonials (optional, two (2) pages maximum)
Guidelines for the content and for material of the nomination items listed above are outlined in the Nomination Material Guidelines. We strongly advise all WIL practitioners to read and follow the guidelines presented. Only those nomination packages that meet the guidelines will be forwarded to the selection committee. Incomplete or improperly prepared nominations will be disqualified by the ACE-WIL Awards Committee.
Guidelines for Nomination Materials
The guidelines presented below are provided to assist in the preparation of the nomination package. Nominators are advised to adhere to the guidelines stipulated. Packages that do not meet the guidelines may be removed from consideration for the award by ACE-WIL.
Nominator: Institution Letter of Support
Please submit one (1) typewritten statement supporting your industry partner nominee and that addresses your students’ and your own outstanding experience with this employer. Provided below is the scoring criteria for the awards, and a sample letter of support to help guide you. Please consider using student testimonials. Submit the letter of support on institution letterhead (2 pages maximum, 1 inch margins, 10 pt font minimum). Where possible, please be specific with your examples. Include your signature at the bottom of the statement.
Please consider the following questions:
- How did this industry partner contribute to Co-operative Education/Work Integrated Learning, including supporting on-campus events, either financially or with in-kind support, attending information sessions, career fairs, interview clinics, networking events, guest speakers, speaker panels, attending poster or debriefing sessions, etc.
- How has the industry partner enhanced opportunities for the student’s professional growth (i.e., career and competency development)?
- Can you describe the work experience provided by the industry partner and how it exceeded your students’ and your own expectations in comparison to other industry partners?
- How does this industry partner foster exceptional experiences for WIL students?
- What mentoring relationships were provided to students during their WIL experiences?
Please describe any additional intangible qualities of this employer, if any.
We wish all nominees the best in their consideration for the ACE-WIL Co-op Industry Partner of the Year Award. Any questions regarding the nomination requirements may be directed to the ACE-WIL Awards Committee Chair, Sue Stanley, at sstanley@sfu.ca
RebalanceMD, Industry Partner of the Year, with CEO Stefan Fletcher and WIL student Ronak Sheiki working at Rebalance during her clinical kinesiology co-op work term. Credit: ReBalanceMD.
Learn More2018 ACE-WIL Industry Partner of the Year
The Association for Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning BC / Yukon is pleased to announce the recipient of the Industry Partner of the Year Award for 2018: DND-CFB Esquimalt.
2017 Industry Partner of the Year (50+ employees)
The Association for Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning BC / Yukon is pleased to announce the recipient of the Industry Partner of the Year Award for 2017 (50+ employees): BCI, Victoria.
2017 Industry Partner of the Year (less than 50 employees)
The Association for Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning BC / Yukon is pleased to announce the recipient of the Industry Partner of the Year Award for 2017 (less than 50 employees): Rovalution Automotive, Vancouver.
2016 Industry Partner of the Year
The Association for Co-operative Education BC / Yukon is pleased to announce the recipient of the Industry Partner of the Year Award for 2016: Parks Canada
2015 Industry Partner of the Year Award
The Association for Co-operative Education BC / Yukon is pleased to announce the recipient of the Industry Partner of the Year Award for 2015: Carmanah Technologies Corporation
