This year the Office of Experiential Education, led by director Dr. Sarah King, has worked to develop a number of meaningful partnership and initiatives for students in the public, private and non-profit sectors to expand the experiential educational opportunities available at UNB.
UNB partnered with the Government of New Brunswick to launch a new initiative designed to strengthen and grow our commitment to experiential education and help strengthen New Brunswick’s economy and workforce.
New Brunswick's Experiential Learning Initiative helps students from the province’s four publicly funded universities find valuable experiences in partnership with New Brunswick’s diverse public and private sectors, while supporting local employers in finding and recruiting qualified staff. The initiative provides experiential learning opportunities with New Brunswick employers that help support students’ academic learning, strengthen students’ skill and competency development, and support growth, recruitment and retention with New Brunswick employers.
The program aims to provide every undergraduate student with an experiential learning opportunity before graduation. The learning experiences must be with New Brunswick-based partners and coordinated through faculty-based experiential learning programs. Funding is managed through UNB’s Office of Experiential Education.
“Participating in experiential learning opportunities simply wasn’t a possibility for many students due to financial barriers,” said Dr. Sarah King, director of the Office of Experiential Education at UNB.
“We know that experiential learning helps students strengthen their academic learning with hands-on experiences in their communities. This program will help underrepresented groups like Indigenous students, low-income students and first-generation students find experiential education opportunities and help with funding for all undergraduate students along the way. This initiative is a huge leap forward for experiential education in higher education.”
The Saint John Newcomers Centre partnered with university students from across the province, including UNB, Université de Moncton, St. Thomas University and Mount Allison University, to provide a fun event for newcomers and their families.
The event, entitled the Super Saturday Social, was held at the Saint John Newcomers Centre at Portland United Church in March.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for students to engage with diverse populations, while increasing cultural competencies,” said Dr. King. “This will also allow UNB students to meet and work with students from other universities and collaborate with others across the province. Service learning opportunities allow students to bring their rich experiences back to the classroom and think about how their academic learning connects with their service opportunities.”
The University of New Brunswick and Siemens Canada signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enrich student experiences and ensure they’re job-ready when they graduate. Through the MOU, UNB becomes an official partner in Siemens Canada’s Dual Educational Program under the Siemens Canada Engineering & Technology Academy (SCETA). The program recruits students, starting one year before they graduate, who then complement their engineering and technology studies with Siemens expertise. The methodology-based program provides hands-on technical skills and strategic business competencies relevant to the North American market.
UNB is the first university in Atlantic Canada to become a partner in this Siemens initiative. Select graduates of the 16-month program are offered full-time positions with Siemens.
Students are paid a salary during the program and, upon graduation, receive a tuition credit.
“The SCETA partnership further expands the ongoing relationship between UNB and Siemens, and our activities in Atlantic Canada,” said Siemens Canada President and CEO Faisal Kazi.
“We share a vision for the future of education, offering a unique opportunity to some of UNB’s best and brightest engineering minds. SCETA applies an innovative learning model ensuring graduates are work-ready in the fast-changing fields of engineering and technology. As Siemens employees, these students will have the opportunity to make significant contributions in innovative areas like smart grid and cybersecurity. Together we will be implementing a program which will be key to increasing New Brunswick’s competitiveness on a global scale.”
