Waterloo Experience Accelerate (WEA): A Work-Integrated Learning Innovation

Co-operative education, a form of work-integrated learning (WIL), is integral of all engineering undergraduate programs at the University of Waterloo in Canada. It is the number one reason for students to elect the University of Waterloo for an engineering education. During the COVID pandemic, the University of Waterloo, a world leader in co-operative education, developed the Waterloo Experience Accelerate (WEA) program, a unique form of WIL. WEA was based on Canada's quality WIL framework and represents the benefits of collaboration across faculties, academic support units, industry and students. This paper will discuss how the WEA program came about, the impact on Engineering students and the current state of the program.