By Iris Elliott and Phuong Diep
In our first post, we mapped the Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) ecosystem and introduced a hierarchy of the needs for all the players in this space. This post turns the lens to Ontario PSIs, how they’re meeting those needs in different, practical ways to keep quality WIL moving forward. For a sector definition of WIL, see CEWIL Canada.1
This post is meant to be a conversation starter that we hope will flourish in the comments. Given the needs for WIL, where have you seen postsecondary institutions rise to the occasion? Please share the success stories and help us create an idea catalogue for amplifying experimentation and community.
WIL involves multiple players, students, PSIs, employers (especially small and medium-sized enterprises), funders, and convenors2, each with different incentives and constraints. A hierarchy of needs helps us see which needs must be satisfied first to unlock progress for everyone (e.g., alignment to learning outcomes and safety before scale and innovation). It also reminds us that power and influence are distributed, so aligning with other players’ goals earns you allies and that makes achieving your objectives easier.
To develop this post, we conducted a series of structured conversations with WIL leaders at four Ontario postsecondary institutions. We chose to highlight four institutions in this post to share a snapshot of the different ways postsecondary institutions are responding to WIL needs and to create a welcoming starting point that encourages others across the sector to contribute their own stories, challenges, and innovations.
After gathering their insights, we analysed the themes through the lens of the WIL Hierarchy of Needs introduced in post 1 of this series, aligning institutional practices with the underlying needs those practices address. This approach allowed us to compare diverse strategies across institutions while highlighting common patterns, sector wide challenges, and opportunities for shared learning.
| Highest Needs | Other needs | |
| Institutions (PSIs) | Bridge programs and research outputs to labour market outcomes; secure sustainable WIL partnerships; achieve 100% placement targets where program requires | Align postings to program learning outcomes; share opportunities equitably; facilitate communication and match between engaged employers and students; help students achieve a good WIL experience |
What PSIs told us: the solutions in practice they are using to address WIL needs
Institutions are tackling WIL needs in many different ways, modulated by staffing strategies and financial constraints, the examples that follow move quickly across themes. Please look for the narrative in thinking of this as an idea catalogue of field-tested strategies to spark further sharing. tested strategies to spark further sharing.
1) Program Learning Outcome aligned matching at scale.
Several institutions are simplifying the front door for employers and safeguarding curricular integrity. We heard from a university that is merging multiple job boards into a single streamlined system, building a central employer engagement team, and tagging postings by industry cluster so the right programmes automatically surface, keeping postings aligned to learning outcomes without endless email back and forth. Course- embedded placements still run locally, but co-op/WIL navigation now has a single point of contact. Another college is on a similar path, using the same streamlined job board across co-op/work term boards and adding an experiential module for field placements. Opportunities are tagged by program type and released on a term cadence. Another university has a recruitment platform that supports both direct matching and general visibility postings, accommodating employers who need curated shortlists and those who want to broadcast opportunities.
2) Sustaining partnerships amid austerity.
One of our universities shared about their deep investments in partnership infrastructure: approximately 30 staff in opportunity development, two Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) specialists, and monthly funding webinars/showcases, backed by an external resource manager who keeps funding options visible to employers. That combination helps to steady relationships when markets shift. Another university centralized employer engagement to similarly reduce friction for partners across faculties. At the same time to achieve the sustainability of partnerships, a college shared that they found clear term windows and large programme mix kept employer pipelines active, while another college deliberately rebuilt new business development contacts and phased outreach plans by term to maintain connection to employers and ensure evergreen WIL opportunities.
3) Funding and timing: making SWPP work for everyone.
All four institutions are actively sharing SWPP information with employers. One university layers this with multiple SWPP delivery partners (ICTC, OCC, BioTalent, Eco Canada, Tech Nation) to match streams to roles and to amplify equity linked incentives. Another university assigns specialists to SWPP and has its Business Development team help employers submit paperwork on time, which improves uptake and compliance. A college shared that they provide confirmation letters while keeping the application step on the employer side lightweight. Another college flagged two practical hurdles: international student ineligibility in many SWPP streams and lower employer follow through when they must return to validate details, both of which to be aware of as these can depress conversion.
4) Safety, screening, and clarity about what “counts” as WIL.
A college notes that paid roles are easier to approve because health and safety insurance is handled via employer payroll, underscoring the value of clear criteria and templates. To ensure that a certain WIL can be used within a student’s credential, or “counts”, another college ensured structured windows and tagging to help ensure roles stay within programme intent and timing.
5) Equity and multiple entry points for students.
One of our contact universities addresses EDDI by pairing equity priority SWPP variants with targeted employer outreach, aiming to broaden access to paid experiences for diverse student groups. Another university has developed a suite of services to address multiple kinds of WIL and create different onramps for students at various stages and in different disciplines, while anchoring experiences to academic development.
6) Lowering employer friction (payroll, readiness, documentation).
To increase the ease of employer involvement a university business development team walks employers through documentation, synchronising funding timelines with academic cycles. A college addresses this need by observing that payroll-ready paid roles move faster points to the value of readiness checklists, a practical tool we can share sector wide. And another university shared they employ a single point of contact and consolidated board to reduce the time new employers spend figuring out “where to start.”
What you can borrow for scaling and strengthening WIL:
- Consolidate the front door for employers (one form, program tags, clear timelines).
- Name dedicated roles for funding navigation (SWPP “shepherds,” monthly funding briefings).
- Publish approval criteria (credit status, Health & Safety, supervision) and provide a WIL host readiness checklist to speed decisions.
- Offer students multiple on-ramps tied to curriculum: short projects, first term experiences, and longer co-ops.
Add your voice
As we mentioned at the top, this post is meant as a practitioner’s idea catalogue, not a definitive map. Please share a tactic that worked at your PSI in the comments so peers can learn (and connect with you). If you have public resources (checklists, policy pages, employer briefings), drop them as links in the comments for others to peruse.
Equity, Diversity, Decolonization, and Inclusion (EDDI) Acknowledgement
The insights in this post are informed by early conversations with colleges, 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).
