By Iris Elliott and Phuong Diep
(Part 3 of the three-part series on Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) in Ontario, link to post 1, and post 2 of this series)
In the first post of this series, we stepped back to look at Ontario’s WIL ecosystem: who is involved, why WIL matters, and how a hierarchy of needs helps explain where pressure, influence, and opportunity sit across students, postsecondary institutions (PSIs), employers, funders, and convenors. In the second post, we focused on PSIs, what they are doing in practice to keep WIL moving forward in an environment of fiscal restraint, increasing demand for placements, and growing complexity.
This third post turns the lens to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the relationship between business and postsecondary education.
In Ontario, small and medium sized enterprises are the backbone of the economy. SMEs account for nearly two‑thirds of private‑sector employment and generate approximately half of the province’s business‑sector GDP, making them central to growth, productivity, and regional resilience, not a marginal segment of the labour market123. Alongside these economic contributions, SMEs also have access to federal supports through the Innovation Canada platform, which offers tailored funding recommendations, advisory services, and tools that help businesses identify programs aligned with their growth stage and operational needs4.
At the same time, postsecondary institutions (PSIs) hold deep reservoirs of student talent, applied knowledge, and research capacity that SMEs often need but cannot easily access on their own, especially when navigating rapid change, constrained resources, or pressure to innovate5.
And yet, a familiar dilemma persists. For PSIs, engaging a large corporation is often efficient: one relationship, one legal team, one HR process, and potentially dozens of placements. In a context of austerity, fewer staff, and sustained pressure to deliver WIL opportunities at scale, this route can feel like the path of least resistance.
For SMEs, navigating postsecondary systems can feel opaque, time consuming, and risky, particularly when payroll is not yet in place, supervision capacity is thin, or the value of student contributions feels uncertain relative to the effort required to onboard and mentor them.
The result is not a lack of shared interest. Where the opportunities exist, it is fundamentally, a coordination problem, one where the economic importance of SMEs far outpaces the system’s ability to consistently meet them where they are.
The SME hierarchy of needs
In the first post, we proposed a hierarchy of needs for SMEs engaged in WIL:
| Highest needs | Other needs | |
| Employers | Quick access to skills and labour; Build a talent pipeline; integrate student talent and PSI knowledge into innovation and growth and company sustainability | Support students to contribute to the business needs; Simple wayfinding to connect with compatible PSI programs (especially for SMEs); Trust in quality and match of student to work |
The key insight that has surfaced repeatedly, across conversations with both PSIs and employers, is that SMEs do not experience these needs all at once. They surface differently depending on where a business is in its development, operations, and hiring lifecycle.
A pre-payroll business struggling to unblock a process bottleneck is not looking for the same thing as a payroll-ready employer trying to systematize hiring. Both can benefit from working with PSIs, but not through the same models.
From “Are you ready?” to “What fits right now?”
Too often, conversations about WIL implicitly ask SMEs, “Are you ready to take a student?”
A more productive question might be, “Which kind of partnership would actually help you right now?”
This reframing is important because:
- Not all collaboration needs to start with formal employment.
- Payroll readiness changes what is easy, not what is possible.
- Value and trust are built through appropriately scoped engagement.
To support this shift, we are suggesting a short yes/no diagnostic designed to help SMEs (and PSI staff working with them) quickly identify where partnering with postsecondary institutions and for what kinds of WIL might be most helpful. Rather than being an intake form or a compliance check, these questions could serve as a wayfinding tool, linking business realities to engagement formats that align with SME needs and capacity.
| # | Yes / No Question | If Yes, this suggests… | If No, this suggests… |
| 1 | Do you currently have payroll set up and have you hired at least one employee in the past? | Organization is structurally ready to host paid students (interns or coop students). Potential PSI Engagement Path Internships, coops, applied research | Organization is pre-payroll or very early stage; employment-based WIL may create friction. Potential PSI Engagement Path Course based projects, microplacements, consulting sprints |
| 2 | In the next 6–12 months, do you expect to need additional capacity or new skills beyond your current staff? | There is a real business demand students could help address. Potential PSI Engagement Path Skill aligned student roles or projects | Engagement may be exploratory rather than capacity driven. Potential PSI Engagement Path Light touch engagement (events, challenges, discovery projects) |
| 3 | Is there someone in your organization who could spend 1–2 hours per week guiding a student or project team? | The organization can provide the supervision needed for meaningful student work. Potential PSI Engagement Path Placements, coops, defined projects | Limited supervisory capacity; high risk of overload or poor experience. Potential PSI Engagement Path Highly structured, short-term projects with external facilitation |
| 4 | Do you have a clearly defined challenge or opportunity that could benefit from student or research input? | Student work is likely to generate visible value and ROI. Potential PSI Engagement Path Targeted projects, applied research, capstones | Scope may need codesign support to avoid misalignment. Potential PSI Engagement Path Problem framing support, exploratory projects |
| 5 | Have you previously worked with a postsecondary institution (students, research, or training)? | Familiarity with academic timelines and expectations; lower onboarding friction. Potential PSI Engagement Path Scale or deepen successful engagement types | First time collaborator; will need more guidance and scaffolding. Potential PSI Engagement Path Entry level formats with templates and active support |
| 6 | Would you be open to a short-term engagement (2–8 weeks) to test collaboration before committing longer-term? | Openness to low-risk experimentation and incremental adoption. Potential PSI Engagement Path Micro-placements, course projects | May be seeking immediate long-term hires or outcomes. Potential PSI Engagement Path Longer placements, internships, or research partnerships |
| 7 | Would you like help navigating programs, platforms, or contacts that match your needs? | The organization is ready to be matched and supported by intermediaries. Potential PSI Engagement Path Facilitated matching (WIL office, platforms, partnerships) | The organization may prefer self-serve or direct recruitment. Potential PSI Engagement Path Direct posting or informal engagement |
Taken together, the questions ask about:
- Structural readiness (including payroll and supervision capacity),
- Business demand (skills, capacity, defined challenges),
- Prior experience and risk tolerance, and
- Desire for navigation and support.
What matters is not any single answer, but the pattern they reveal.
Some SMEs emerge as clearly ready for coops, internships, or applied research partnerships that build long-term talent pipelines and embed PSI knowledge into ongoing work. Others surface as strong candidates for short, project-based engagement that delivers immediate value while lowering onboarding friction and building confidence on both sides.
Both pathways matter. Both meet different layers of the SME hierarchy of needs. And both create conditions for deeper collaboration over time.
Why this matters now
From a system perspective, this framing opens capacity where it often feels constrained.
For PSIs, it suggests ways to broaden employer engagement without requiring every SME to look like a large firm. Project based, course embedded, and short-term models are not “lesser” forms of WIL, they are often the onramps that make later placements viable and as a relationship building foundation.
For SMEs, it clarifies that partnering with postsecondary institutions is not an all-or-nothing commitment. There are credible entry points that respect time, resources, and uncertainty, while still delivering real value.
For students, it expands the universe of meaningful experiences, especially in SMEs, where mentorship, breadth of exposure, and direct impact are often strongest.
Taken together, the opportunity is significant: better matching, lower friction, and partnerships that meet SMEs where they are, while still supporting the long-term goals of talent development and innovation that underpin WIL.
This is a conversation, not a conclusion, please share your stories in the comments!
Equity, Diversity, Decolonization, and Inclusion (EDDI) Acknowledgement
The insights in this post are informed by early conversations with colleges and universities and employers across Ontario, with a strong representation from urban institutions. We recognise that to understand WIL in its full complexity, we must meaningfully include voices from Indigenous Institutes, French and bilingual institutions, and other communities not yet fully represented in our consultations. This work is ongoing, and we welcome all who wish to contribute in the comments or by reaching out to us directly (research@ecampusontario.ca).
