York University

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

York University's Bridging Program for Internationally Educated Professionals (IEP) offers a unique opportunity for employers to collaborate on real-world projects while supporting learners' transition into the Canadian workplace. Participants in this program are motivated individuals who are looking to establish themselves in the Canadian workplace, and upskill their local credentials. Participants have 3+ years of international career experience, international university degrees, and are eligible to work in Canada. Our program seeks to engage companies in an exciting business challenge, whereby students will work in small groups and engage in a selected project over an intensive 2-day period (hybrid). The structure of this business challenge will be as follows: Kickoff week: Leading up to the challenge day, the employer will send information regarding the project to the student group. This can be in the form of a data set, company insights, or general background context. Day 1: Student group and employer partner will meet to discuss the project in more depth. Students will then take that away as a group and work on their analysis. Day 2: Student groups will work on the project and present their findings to a panel of their educators & faculty members, as well as the employer partners.