After a successful pilot of the UWindsor Job Shadow Experience during the October reading week, Career Development and Experiential Learning plans to offer it again in the winter term.

Gagneet Kaur, who shadowed provost Douglas Kneale, says she would recommend the program to any students unsure about their career paths.

“My job shadow experience opened a whole new world of opportunities for me,” says Kaur.  “I culminated the experience with enhanced knowledge in the field of education and policy-making and got a first-hand look at what it takes to run an organization.”

The program gave students a chance to observe a professional at the host’s place of work, learning about the career, sector, workplace, and how to be competitive in the labour market. Every placement included observation time, a tour of the workplace, and an information interview, allowing students to see the career and industry in action and ask pertinent questions.

The pilot placed 33 students with host professionals, who also reported enjoying the experience.

“Even though we are all busy at work, taking a few hours out of my day to support and educate students is extremely rewarding,” says Kyle Shafer, senior process improvement specialist at TransForm Shared Services Organization, which supports five hospitals in the tri-county region.  “The students asked great questions and prompted me to consider again how I do things.”

Jamie Kramer, human resources assistant with the City of Windsor, agrees.

“Job shadows are a way to promote the pursuit of careers in our business and invest in the knowledge and education of our future workforce, which helps to develop potential employees,” she says. “It was nice to sit down and discuss not just the what and the how, but the why behind what we do.”

Career Development and Experiential Learning is part of the Office of Experiential Learning. Read more about the pilot on the project’s website.