Ideas with Impact
UNB Faculty of Management

Ismaël Gbane is moving closer to realizing his career goal this term thanks to a co-op placement with PwC in Saint John, New Brunswick. In his role as a Co-op Associate in External Audit, he is working closely with more experienced associates to perform financial statement audits.

Ismaël is the first student to join UNB’s faculty of management through a pathway partnership with the Centre d'Études Franco-Américain de Management or Franco-American Center for Management Studies (CEFAM) in Lyon, France.

He says the co-op placement is a crucial part of his BBA education, ensuring that he will graduate not just with a degree, but with practical experience. “It augments my BBA studies in diverse ways.”

Working with PwC allows Ismaël to experience firsthand how the theoretical knowledge he acquired in the classroom is applied in real-world business scenarios, providing him with a better understanding of concepts.

This placement also connects him with industry professionals, offering opportunities to network, seek coaching, and gain insights from their experience. Learning directly from these professionals provides perspectives that are not always covered in textbooks, he says.

The placement is helping him develop hard skills using industry software, as well as soft skills like time management and communication.

“This placement helps me prepare for an accounting career by immersing me in real-life situations that are critical to the accounting profession. By navigating these scenarios as a co-op student, I am better prepared to handle similar situations as a professional.

The co-op provides a vital foundation that builds my experience and boosts my confidence, ensuring a seamless transition into the workforce when I graduate.”

Originally from Ivory Coast, Ismaël moved to Lyon, France and studied business at CEFAM, then came to UNB to obtain dual degrees in business from both institutions. The move from Fredericton to Saint John was not as far as his previous travels, but he says he is enjoying the change of scenery so far.

Through the co-op placement, he is discovering a new city and new personal and professional strengths that are helping to expand his social and professional network and gain new perspectives on his business studies.

Photo: Ismaël Gbane came to UNB’s faculty of management through a pathway partnership with CEFAM in Lyon, France, and is now working with PWC in Saint John, NB, through the co-op program.

Learn more about UNB’s faculty of management and the co-op program.

Media contact: Liz Lemon-Mitchell