Over 300 Sheridan students benefit from Innovative Field Placement bursary

Over 300 students completing the Winter 2023 term received funding to support participation in unpaid field placements or mandatory professional practice during the semester.

This was the second year for the Innovative Field Placement Bursary program. It was first introduced in Winter 2021 and is designed to assist students in reducing barriers to participating in unpaid work-integrated learning (WIL).

In 2023, Sheridan was able to increase the number of bursaries given to students and saw an increase in the number of programs that participated. Students from 27 programs across all five Sheridan faculties received the bursary, which involved over 250 community and industry partnerships, some new to Sheridan, further expanding WIL within the community. The value of the bursaries ranged from $900 to $1500.

Innovation was a key part of the application process for students. They were then able to take their classroom learning and apply it to their field placements, bringing innovative ideas to their employers, through technology, innovative programs, or new creative processes, while exploring different career options and gaining work experience.

This project was funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative (IWIL) and Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada’s (CEWIL) Innovation Hub (iHUB), and Sheridan was granted $500,000 to support this initiative for domestic students. In line with Sheridan’s ongoing commitment to support the international student experience, the college provided additional funding to support international students.

“Sheridan is a proud recipient of the CEWIL iHUB grant. With this grant we were able to provide financial support to many talented students who demonstrated hard work and dedication while on field placement. Student recipients not only applied their classroom learning while onsite with a host organization, but they also discovered innovative ways to leverage technology in the workplace or developed innovative programming or activities for clients, for example” says Joanne Islip, Interim Director, Career-Integrated learning. “Sheridan is proud of the many contributions that our students make in our local communities, and we are thrilled that we could disperse over 300 bursaries to students!”

A key goal of the CEWIL iHUB funding is to expand access to work-integrated learning opportunities to underrepresented groups. Sheridan supported this goal with 84% of students receiving the Innovative Field Placement Bursary self-identifying as part of an underrepresented group.