How do we make work-integrated learning (WIL) a real option for graduate students in every discipline?
That’s the question we explored with a room of engaged, creative participants at #Congress2025 this weekend, hosted by BHER member George Brown College.
BHER’s Andrew Bieler presented our latest work on expanding WIL for master’s and PhD students — a group with huge potential, but persistent access gaps. Despite the value grad students bring to employers, only a small fraction currently access WIL. We're working to change that.
A few takeaways from the roundtable discussion:
The issue isn’t just access — it’s translation.
Many grad students, especially in the humanities, aren’t trained to articulate their skills (like research, writing, and analysis) in ways that resonate with employers. WIL helps close that language and visibility gap.
WIL must be flexible, not one-size-fits-all.
Grad students face real time constraints: theses, teaching, research, funding. So WIL models that work need to be voluntary, modular, and adaptive to different career goals.
There’s demand for mentorship and guidance.
Students don’t just need access to WIL opportunities. They need support navigating them. Mentors, alumni, and program champions can play a huge role in boosting uptake and confidence.
We should rethink how we engage PhDs.
The group discussed industrial PhD models (like those used in Sweden), which embed students in companies to work on real-world research problems. There’s growing interest in adapting this for Canada, but doing so will take serious investment and collaboration.
The message was clear: graduate students bring critical skills and fresh ideas. With the right models, partnerships, and support, we can unlock that talent to strengthen Canada’s innovation economy.
Thanks to everyone who joined us and to our partners helping to build more inclusive, flexible WIL for graduate learners.