Learning Through Experience
Sharing our successes with experiential learning at UNB

UNB's Office of Experiential Education (OEE) is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Business Higher Education Roundtable (BHER). BHER is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization. BHER brings together Canada’s largest companies and leading post-secondary institutions to build opportunities for young Canadians, boost innovation and drive collaboration.


With sponsorship from BHER, the Office of Experiential Education hired the new ExperieinceUNB coordinator. The new position provides the OEE with an external facing employer support staff, who will manage new experiential learning programs:


• Employer Advisory Group: seeking advice, best practices and engagement from existing NB employers to document best practices for experiential education

• Managing the CATALYST program: a new curricular internship program scheduled for spring and Summer 2022

• Coordinating Future of Work modules: interactive work skill training modules, available to UNB now.

• Coordinating the 2022 Creating Rural Opportunities Program (CROP): connecting UNB students with experiential learning projects in businesses across the province.

BHER funding will also support the hiring of the OEE's Instructional Designer, who will create virtual, UNB specific versions of the Future of Work modules for on-going use in UNB classrooms and beyond! The Office of Experiential Education is currently seeking to fill this role.


Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) helps bridge the classroom and the world of work, connecting students with businesses looking to address skills, talent, and innovation gaps. WIL is a way for companies to build a more agile workforce and also one that’s more equitable and diverse. It’s a critical way to help Canada’s businesses adapt for the future and grow.

As the economy recovers from Covid-19, traditional forms of WIL, like co-ops and apprenticeships, are more important than ever. But so are new and emerging WIL models, like micro-placements and competitions, which offer lower-cost and lower risk ways for employers to participate in WIL while providing more new, more accessible opportunities for students to develop skills and gain work-related experience.

BHER is building a network of partners to advance and strengthen WIL ecosystems across Canada. We provide tools, resources, and support to help organizations create or expand WIL opportunities. All of BHER’s partnerships are guided by the goal of providing every post-secondary student a WIL opportunity during their first diploma or degree.