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Globe and Mail: Canadian Universities Report 2016

October 22, 2015 — 

The Globe and Mail published their Canadian Universities Report 2016.

The University of Manitoba received much praise. As the newspaper reports in five sections:

 

Reframe the future with ‘possibilities’ not ‘careers’

At the University of Manitoba students seeking help from career services are encouraged by counsellors to think about the “hidden job market,” explains Gail Langlais, director of Career Services.

“If you look through the paper you might read about a new bike path that they’re thinking about developing in Winnipeg,” Ms. Langlais says, “and then you have to step back and say, well, what’s involved in the creation of that?” One might think about engineers, policy-makers, or environmental implications of the bike path and there could be potential for job opportunities, she says.

Indigenous people: ‘We’re not extracurricular’

Programs designed to get aboriginal students in the door can help. For Ashley Richard, a commerce student at the University of Manitoba, that program was through the Asper School of Business. She received assistance getting through the admissions process and significant financial aid. Having spent several of her teenaged years homeless, this support was key. “If I had never gotten in touch with the [Asper] program, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” she says. “It was really hard for me to finish high school because everything was so tumultuous.”

Internships, co-ops more crucial than ever

Karine Sabourin, a fourth-year commerce student at the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business, is a big proponent of the benefits of co-op programs, and says she’d be way behind in chasing her career goals if she hadn’t enrolled in one.

“It really is a no-brainer for me,” the 21-year-old from St. Jean Baptiste, Man., says.

Ms. Sabourin has already parlayed her co-op experience into a full-time position as an associate consultant with Endgame Business Strategy in Winnipeg.

The Generation Z effect

In an effort to add value to its academic programs, the University of Manitoba is focusing on five areas to augment their value beyond the transfer of knowledge, says vice-provost of students Susan Gottheil: co-op and internships, service and community learning programs, student entrepreneurship programs, interdisciplinary projects and international student mobility programs (studying abroad).

Considering a university in the Prairies?

U of M is a large research-focused university and is known for its medical and dentistry schools. Competition for admission to professional programs, such as pharmacy and respiratory therapy, is fierce.

 

 

 

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