Review of Risk Management: Legal, Safety and Liability Coverage for Students Working in Diverse Types of Work-Integrated Learning

Risk is inherent in all Work-Integrated Learning experiences due to the complexities and uncertainties involved; these may include legal, financial, reputational, ethical, social, strategic and operational. Key issues as they pertain to Risk Management and WIL within the BC landscape will be the project’s focus. A literature review, including an analysis of WIL terminology and definitions, will be assessed; COVID-19 legislation, safety plan requirements, and potential implications of COVID-19 will be highlighted. The focus for this pilot project includes investigating the results from an ACE-WIL Membership survey; five core issues were identified: Workers’ Compensation and Liability Coverage, Employment Conditions, Student Access to WIL, Human Rights, and International Student concerns. 47 stakeholder interviews were completed from 12 PSI’s across the province to discuss the issues and develop document support; these approved documents are uploaded to the ACE-WIL Resource Hub.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the law referred to in this report is current to June 30, 2021.

COVID-19 is continuing to impact the legal environment. Readers should consult their professional advisers before undertaking any actions related to this report, given the changing and complex legal environment.