Skills Council of Canada and Riipen have partnered to enhance a student’s work-integrated learning experience by providing access to skills development resources while on the job.  The partnership allows students to gain practical experience while developing real-world skills that are relevant to their field of study.

Riipen’s experiential learning platform connects schools, employers, and students, by providing experiential learning opportunities. Through Riipen, employers can offer real-world projects to students, allowing them to gain practical experience and apply their skills in a professional setting. Schools can use Riipen to facilitate these projects and provide their students with valuable learning experiences. Students can use Riipen to find and apply for these opportunities, helping them to develop their skills and prepare for the workforce. The job market can be unpredictable, and the skills and knowledge that are in high demand can shift, especially with innovation and technology advancements. It can be difficult for schools, employers, and students to keep pace with these changes and ensure students are prepared with the right skills for the current job market. This is where Riipen’s platform delivers.

“Riipen is a strong believer in the power of leveling the playing fields for all learners and job-seekers, we have supported over 155,000 learners to access meaningful work-integrated learning projects in collaboration with over 25,800 employers. By partnering with colleges, universities, and short-cycle training providers to provide accessible online employer-led work-integrated learning projects, Riipen solves the talent shortage problem for employers, while enabling learners to bridge from training to the workforce, powering inclusive economic growth for Canada” Says Midia Shikh Hassan, Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Thought Leadership at Riipen.

Skills Council of Canada’s skills-to-employment collaborative support ecosystem (CSE) provides job seekers with access to individualized on-the-job skills development resources. Skills Council of Canada’s CSE platform provides access to 1,000s of skills development resources such as mentors, tutors, career counsellors, skills assessments, skills courses, and innovative methods of delivery.  The platform also provides access to skills development opportunities that are not typically learned in a post-secondary setting, such as the soft skills needed to write a resume or deal with conflict in the workplace.

The combination of Riipen and Skills Council of Canada’s platforms will support work-integrated learning (WIL) students by providing them with a connection to employment, plus the benefit of on-the-job mobile skills training. The partnership will help students become more competitive in the job market, and have a better understanding of the technologies and tools that are commonly used in their industry. On-the-job mobile skills training can also provide WIL students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a real-world setting while learning new skills, which can help to deepen their understanding of the subject matter and prepare them for future careers.

“We are so pleased to be working in collaboration with Riipen. We believe Riipen’s unique and successful approach to experiential learning will benefit job seekers and learners because it allows learners to apply what they have learned in a real-world context, making learning more meaningful and relevant,” said Kate O’Neil, VP of Partnerships of Skills Council of Canada.

Experiential learning allows job seekers to gain hands-on experience that can help set them apart from other candidates and make them more attractive to employers. Through this collaboration, learners and job-seekers will better understand the job environment, learn how to work with others, and develop important interpersonal skills essential for success.

About Skills Council of Canada Inc.

Skills Council of Canada Inc. (Skills Council of Canada) based in Ottawa, Ontario is a social impact-focused organization building holistic integrated solutions that support Canada’s Sustainable Development Goals with a prime focus on education-to-employment. Operating in collaboration with Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations, the Skills Council of Canada promotes skills development for the development of good health/well-being, access to quality education and equal employment, gender equality, access to clean drinking water, affordable clean energy, decent work for economic growth, innovative technology ecosystems, infrastructure, reducing inequality, sustainable communities, and developing partnerships required to support these efforts.

Skills Council of Canada’s Collaborative Support Ecosystem (CSE) includes thousands of skills courses, thousands of job role assessments and subject-based assessments, access to thousands of one-on-one mentors, tutors, career counselling, wellness coaches, and so much more, all managed by Skills Council of Canada’s robust learning management system. The CSE program also enables the Skills Council of Canada to provide its entire offering for free to all participants and partners.

‍About Riipen

Launched in 2017, Riipen is the world’s leading online work-integrated learning platform, connecting educators and learners with employers through highly flexible and scalable WIL solutions. On a mission to eliminate underemployment, Riipen has built a robust marketplace of over 430 higher education and training providers and more than 25,800 employers, delivering over 155,000 WIL experiences to help learners enhance their skills, build their professional network, and accelerate their path to a meaningful career. Using technology and marketplace dynamics to break down traditional barriers to WIL access, Riipen is looking to bring the Future of Work to diverse learners of all backgrounds.

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