Ottawa, ON

The Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) is committed to creating opportunities by bringing people together. Today BHER is proud to introduce the members of its first Student Advisory Board (SAB), a group whose purpose is to ensure that BHER’s key priorities such as skills, innovation and the future of work are informed by student perspectives. 

The eight newly appointed SAB members from across Canada will work together to provide a student perspective on BHER’s strategic priorities and initiatives, connect BHER to students on campuses, and provide expertise on potential barriers students face as they move from education to the workforce. The SAB members officially began their term on May 1 and will serve a one-year term until April 30, 2021. 

“At a time when Canadian youth are facing unrelenting challenges at school and work, and uncertainties about their futures due to COVID-19, we know that understanding and responding to these challenges is critical to everything we do at BHER,” said BHER’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Valerie Walker. 

“This is why we are delighted to have eight students join our inaugural Student Advisory Board this year. Each of these students brings a unique perspective and insights that will add immense value to our work.” 

The SAB held an introductory meeting in May via video conference so the members could get to know each other and the BHER team. This meeting served as an orientation to familiarize the SAB with BHER’s current priorities, flagship work-integrated learning (WIL) initiative, and how the SAB will work together to support this work. 

As an organization committed to both encouraging and delivering high-quality WIL, BHER is providing an enriching WIL experience for SAB members by incorporating goal setting, reflection, and skills assessments in the SAB’s activities throughout the year.

Following their first meeting, the SAB elected Eric Muellejans as their Chair and Aisha Shafaqat as Vice-Chair. In these roles, Eric and Aisha will provide leadership to guide the success of SAB projects, goals, and initiatives. 

“Now more than ever, our work will be critical in ensuring that the student voice is at the centre of BHER conversations. Our ambition is to collaborate on initiatives that will support students as they navigate the next steps in their education and prepare them for successful careers despite challenging circumstances,” said Eric Muellejans, Chair of the SAB.

“I am proud to lead a Board of engaged students that will have a positive impact on post-secondary education across Canada,” said Aisha Shafaqat, Vice-Chair of the SAB. 

“For this reason, we look forward to being a part of BHER and are excited to get to work.” 

Meet all of BHER’s Student Advisory Board members here