The Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) is excited to announce the launch of its 2021-2022 request for proposals, made possible through the generous support of the Government of Canada.  

BHER has set a goal of helping every student in Canada get a work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunity during their first post-secondary diploma or degree. Through our Creating New WIL for Canada initiative, we are looking for partners to help us achieve this goal. 

We welcome proposals from all regions of the country, in either official language, and focused on any student or employer sub-group. In particular, BHER encourages applicants to consider submitting proposals in one or more of the following priority areas: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Rural, Remote and Northern Communities; and, Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises.

“We are looking forward to receiving unique and innovative proposals from across the country,” said Andrew Bieler, Director of Partnerships and Experiential Learning. “We hope to engage organizations looking to offer traditional WIL experiences, as well as those offering emerging models of WIL.”

These emerging models of WIL include, but are not limited to, competition events, field school programs, performances and micro-placements. Expanding the scope of recognized WIL programs to include these emerging models allows organizations that may otherwise lack the resources to offer traditional WIL opportunities to get involved with WIL and engage students in their communities.

“I am thrilled that we are once again accepting partnership proposals from across the country,” said Dr. Valerie Walker, Chief Executive Officer of BHER. “The new partnerships created through this initiative will help us improve access to WIL for Canada’s students and businesses.”

Interested organizations are encouraged to visit the BHER website (https://bher.ca/partnerships/request-proposals), where they will find detailed instructions for submitting a proposal.

In addition, BHER will offer a Q&A session to support organizations in creating their proposals. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/rpWiGEHy7rSUvyyC6