Work Experiences

Things to Consider

Bolstering Productivity

• Consider encouraging students to work in teams; this gives them the opportunity to reflect on past learnings, take on challenges as a team, and engage in work that’s meaningful and increases productivity.
• The shift to remote work can be challenging; consider ways to help students continuously interact with each other so that they can still build essential skills commonly learned through face-to-face interactions.

Innovation 

• Innovative ideas help firms remain competitive; create supportive environments where students feel empowered and comfortable to share new ideas and as well as the resources to develop creative solutions.

Building a Skilled Talent Pipeline

• Excellent way to “test-drive” potential hires and recruit motivated individuals upon graduation. Consider recruiting students for longer periods to allow them to develop more skills, increase productivity, while also allowing the firm more time to better evaluate the fit between the student and the organization.

Workforce Management 

• Opportunities to mentor and supervise students seeking practical experience can help develop the leadership skills of current employees. Consider having clear, detailed resources for supervisors to access to support their own learning and skill development while participating in WIL. 
• Consider tasking employees who have previous WIL experience with new WIL students; they are more likely to be motivated to support new students because they have realized the benefits themselves.