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Academic Advising & Career Centre

Experiential Learning

Student smiling in a group outdoors

Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning (EL) is the process of learning by doing and reflecting on the process. EL allows you to develop new skills, learn about the workplace and discover career interests.  There are many different types of EL opportunities either within the classroom, within the community, or within the workplace, including community engaged learning, field experience and organization partnered-projects.

At AA&CC, we provide different types of co-curricular EL opportunities through Career Exploration programs including Job Shadowing, Chat with a Professional and In the Field.

Job Shadowing Program

Participating in the Job Shadowing Program allows you to explore a career area of interest. If you are undecided about your career placement choice, your campus Career Centre can suggest workshops and resources to assist you in discovering your options. You can also use online resources including Career Cruising, accessible via CLNx under Resources. Each year, the program places hundreds of students in a diverse variety of career areas. We encourage you to apply to the career area that you are most interested in. Some of the more popular career areas include healthcare (doctors, nurses, technicians) lawyers and teachers, however, you are not limited to these areas.

Job Shadowing placements last 1/2 a day to a full day (or 3-5 hours over 2 to 3 sessions) and take place during Reading Week in February and October.

Mandatory orientation sessions are offered in September for the October session, and January for the February session.  For more information on dates and registration, please check our Events and Workshops calendar on CLNx > Events & Workshops > UTSC (Scarborough) > Academic Advising & Career Centre.

Chat with a Professional

Looking for ways to network with professionals and wondering what you can do with your degree once you graduate? Chats with Professionals is a one hour online career chat that allows you to connect with UofT alumni and professionals. Professionals will take you on a journey and walk you through the practical steps they took that landed them their dream job. You will learn about networking, essential skills for various jobs and industry trends. You will get a bird’s-eye view of the professionals’ role and have an opportunity to ask questions. 

You can find upcoming Chats with Professionals in CLNx.utoronto.ca under Events & Workshops at UTSC's AA&CC.

In the Field

Have you ever wanted to work in a company and wondered what it's really like? "In the Field" is a career exploration program involving a workplace tour that exposes students to the range of careers that can be found within an organization. Students also have the opportunity to hear from current employees and gain knowledge of the day-to-day operations.  For this tour, students will be given a guided tour and be introduced to the different career paths that exist within the organization.  Go on a group field trip to an organization and meet professionals working in a variety of careers all under the same roof. You’ll see the work environment, find out about daily tasks, skills, and education from the people who perform a wide variety of roles at each location, from business and operations to service, and layers in-between. There will also be a chance to ask those questions that you can’t find through a Google search!

Important: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, In the Field workplace tours have been postponed until further notice. We look forward to resuming normal programming for In the Field as soon as it's safe to do so!

In addition to these Career Exploration programs, there are many other ways to gain EL opportunities, such as Work Study, Internships and Volunteering.

Work Study

Across the University of Toronto, over 3,500 students participate in the Work Study Program every year! Twice a year (fall-winter and summer), the Work Study Program offers paid, on-campus positions that provide you with an opportunity to deepen your knowledge, strengthen your skills and explore how your academic studies translate to career possibilities. All Work Study positions are recognized on the Co-Curricular Record (CCR).

The Fall/Winter Work Study Program roles are posted in August. Summer Work Study postings are available in CLNx in April.

For more information including program dates, application process and eligibility, please visit CLNx under Jobs & Recruitment, Work Study

Questions?

You may contact wendy.szeto@utoronto.ca

Additional Resources

First year students can find helpful resources in the First Year Experience (FYE) program, which is based on Quercus!

Students in 2nd year and up can find resources in the soon-to-be-published Student Life Course (title TBD) in Quercus! Topics will include things like:

  • Getting Experience
  • Job Search Bootcamp
  • Jobs for Grads
  • Further Education Planning
  • Money Management for Life
  • and more!