U of T has signed a global charter dedicated to bridging gaps between post-secondary education and the workforce — no matter where in the world students hope to find work.
Wisdom Tettey, vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough, recently signed The Global Charter for Co-op and Work-Integrated Education on behalf of U of T. The charter pledges to create more meaningful international work-integrated experiences for students.
“Our endorsement of this charter re-affirms U of T’s commitment to providing meaningful local and globally-focused experiential learning opportunities for our students,” says Tettey, who joined more than 50 university leaders and other officials from around the world in signing the charter.
“The charter’s emphasis on equity and diversity and on using these learning opportunities to enhance cultural fluency, intercultural competence and resilience fits very well with our core value of inclusive excellence at U of T Scarborough.”
In addition to creating new ways for meaningful international employment opportunities and enhancing cultural fluency, the charter highlights conversations between higher education and business to define “global work readiness” as a top priority.
U of T Scarborough offers robust co-op options as part of its management and arts and science programs. The campus also offers three joint programs with Centennial College, giving students opportunities to early field-related experience and internships.
Through financial aid initiatives such as the Academic Travel Fund and Summer Abroad Program, students also have the chance to study — and grow a global network — through exchange programs and international work experience, in some cases for course credit.
Hosted by the University of Cincinnati, The Global Charter for Co-op and Work-Integrated Education is a collective commitment representing higher education in 14 countries and five continents. It’s led by the World Association for Cooperative and Work-Integrated Education (WACE), an international organization which advocates for work-integrated programs within education.
“The rapid pace of change in business and industry, the increasingly global nature of employment and equitable access for all are themes that need the collective attention of employers and educators,” says Nancy Johnston, president of CWIE.