求学加拿大重要一课 工学结合

What do you imagine when you think about a university education? Sitting in large lecture halls, listening to experts at the front of the room? Working hard on lab experiments or participating in discussion groups? Spending hours in front of books at the university’s library?

说到大学教育，你脑海中会浮现出什么样的画面呢？是坐在大阶梯教室前排听专家讲课？在实验室里努力做实验？参加小组讨论？还是在大学图书馆泡上几小时“啃书”？

While all of these activities are likely to be part of most students’ experience at Canadian universities, increasingly students are also being encouraged to participate in activities that take them outside the classroom and into the community. Look at the web sites of most major Canadian universities and you’ll see that “hands-on” learning that allows students to integrate theories with practice is increasingly viewed as central to the university experience.

在加拿大，虽然这些都可能是多数大学生在校生涯的一部分，但学校也越来越鼓励学生走出校园，到社区去参加各种活动。浏览加拿大主要大学的网站就会发现，其中大多数都有“动手”学习内容，也就是让学生把理论和实践结合起来，而且这种学习正越来越被看作是大学生涯的核心。

This focus on Work Integrated Learning (WIL)—programs that combine work with formal education—is the result of several factors. First, studies, including a series from the Higher Education and Quality Council of Ontario, show that students who complement classroom learning with learning in the community usually feel they learn more deeply and are more confident about themselves and their academic choices direction

这些把正规教育和工作实践联系在一起的活动称为“工学结合”（Work Integrated Learning）。它引发关注的原因有几个：首先，安大略省高等教育质量委员会（Higher Education and Quality Council of Ontario）的一系列研究显示，完成课堂学习和社区学习的学生通常会觉得自己的学习更深入，对自身和选择的学术方向也更有信心。

As the changing global labour market makes getting a job or getting into graduate school a lot more difficult, having work experience on your resume prior to graduation helps students differentiate themselves from their fellow students. WIL gives graduates a competitive advantage in the labour market, for graduate school, and for professional schools.

由于全球劳动力市场的变化，如今找工作或者读研的难度大幅上升。简历上的毕业前工作经历有助于让学生脱颖而出。工学结合会让本科毕业生在找工作或者报考研究生、申请去专业学院深造时获得竞争优势。

So what is WIL and what do students need to know about the different types of programs available to them at most Canadian universities? Most forms of WIL are optional, not required elements of a university degree, and some forms will be better suited to some students than others. Some of the most common types of WIL in Canada include:

那么，什么是工学结合？对于加拿大多数高校开设的各类工学结合课程项目，学生又需要了解些什么？大多数工学结合都是选修课，并不与学位直接挂钩，而且有些形式的工学结合项目只适合某一部分学生。在加拿大，最常见的工学结合模式包括：

Internships:Probably the most commonly used term to describe work experience in industry, Internships can mean paid or unpaid work of varying durations. Unpaid internships have come under scrutiny in North America in the past 2-3 years as stories of large, profitable organizations exploiting unpaid interns have captured headlines. As a result, practices around unpaid internships are changing, and more organizations are looking at bringing on interns either in paid roles, or from university programs that give students’ credit for their internships towards their degree program. Sometimes internship programs are part of a formal university program integrated with the degree, but more often they are opportunities that an employer posts and students apply for, completing them on their own time.

实习：这也许是实业领域描述工作经历的最常用词汇。实习包括带薪实习和无薪实习，期限也有长有短。过去2-3年中，随着大型盈利组织压榨无薪实习生的报道屡屡登上新闻头条，无薪实习在北美受到了严格监督。受此影响，无薪实习正在发生变化，越来越多的公司开始考虑带薪实习，或者把实习作为大学课程，让参加实习的学生获得拿学位所需的学分。有时正规大学会把实习纳入获得学位的课程之中，但在更多情况下，实习机会由企业提供，学生需要应聘并利用课余时间完成实习。

In assessing an internship opportunity, consider: Is it paid? If not, are the volunteer hours reasonable given my other commitments? Will the experience count for credit towards my degree? Has the employer hired interns before? If so, what do past interns say about their experience? Will I be asked to do substantial work related to my degree and career goals, or will I be doing more menial work around the office? If I’m an International student, do I need a work visa for an internship?

评估实习机会时要考虑的因素包括：它是否带薪，如果是无薪实习，学生就要综合考虑其他方面的付出，进行比较，看花在实习上的时间是否合理。相关公司以前是否招过实习生，如果招过，那些实习生对自己的经历作何评价？实习期间，是否有机会做大量和自己的专业以及职业目标相关的工作？还是说会更多地在办公室里打杂？对来自海外地区的国际学生来说，还要考虑实习是否需要工作签证。

Co-operative Education (“Co-op”):Co-op is a formal university program through which students alternate multiple, full-time, paid work terms with their academic studies, and receive recognition on their university record for each work term. In Canada, most co-op programs will require students to spend the equivalent of 30% of the time spent in academic study doing co-op terms; for most undergraduate degrees, this means co-op students will complete at least 3 work terms. Co-op programs are run by qualified career educators and/or faculty. International students participating in a co-op program can apply for a special category of work visa through Citizenship and Immigration Canada enabling them to work off campus on multiple co-op work terms.

合作教育：合作教育是正规大学课程项目。通过这样的项目，学生在读书之外还要多次从事全职工作，校方则会把这些工作经历记入学生的在校成绩。在加拿大，大多数合作教育课程都要求学生每次工作的时间相当于该专业学时的30%；对多数本科学位来说，这就意味着学生至少需要参加3次这样的工作。合作教育课程由有资质的专业教育人士和/或院系负责。参加这些课程的国际学生可以向加拿大公民及移民部（Citizenship and Immigration Canada）申请特别工作签证，以便在校外参加这样的工作。

In assessing a co-op program, consider: Do I see a benefit in doing multiple work terms to learn outside the classroom and explore various career options before I graduate? Do I want to earn money to help finance my degree? What types of support would the co-op office give me in applying for jobs and while on work terms? What kinds of experiences are available through co-op that I might not be able to get on my own? What are the fees charged for participation in co-op? Are there differential fees for international students who participate?

评估合作教育项目时要考虑的因素包括：毕业前多次到校外参加工作并探索各种各样的职业选择对自己是否有益？是否需要为攻读学位的花费去挣钱？该合作教育项目办公室在自己找工作或工作条件方面能提供哪些支持？该课程项目能带来哪些靠自己争取不到的经验？收费情况如何？对国际学生会额外收费吗？

Community Service Learning (CSL):CSL refers to a formal university program through which volunteer work is part of a credit-bearing university course. The volunteer work seeks to address the needs of a community organization and includes structured reflection on the experience to link it with course content. CSL experiences are usually overseen by the professor teaching the course and may be supported by professional staff at the university.

社区服务实践学习：这也是正规大学课程项目，它把志愿工作纳入提供学分的课程之中。这些志愿工作以满足社区组织的需要为抓手，并包括学生对这一经历的结构性思索，从而把实践经历和课程内容联系起来。此类活动的负责人通常是讲授该门课程的教授，同时可能由高校的专业教师提供支持。

In assessing a CSL program, consider: Do I want the opportunity to give back to the community through volunteer work? Do I like the idea of working in a community organization alongside a group of students in the course that I’m taking? Do I learn better by having the opportunity to apply theory to practice? How can I find out which courses offer CSL? What kinds of organizations usually partner with these courses to offer opportunities?

评估社区服务实践学习时要考虑的因素包括：自己想获得通过志愿工作回报社区的机会吗？自己喜欢和同一门课程的同学们一起在社区组织工作吗？有机会把理论用于实践会让自己学得更好吗？怎么才能知道哪些课程项目包括社区服务实践学习呢？通常是什么样的组织会和大学合作提供这样的机会呢？

Other forms of WIL, such as practicums, field experience, and clinics are common too, but often in professional programs such as Nursing which require work experience for the purposes of certification or licensing. They are, as a result, likely to be required parts of a university education, not optional ones.

实习课、现场操作和临床实践也是工学结合的常见形式，但它们往往出现在护理这样的专业课程项目中。这些课程项目要求工作经验的目的是通过认证或取得执业资格。因此，这些工学结合活动可能是必修课，而非选修课程。

As someone who’s worked in the field of WIL for almost 20 years, here’s my advice. When considering a university, ask about what kinds of WIL they offer. Think about how you might learn best, and what your goals are for your university experience. Choose a university based not just on its position in global university rankings, but also based on the quality and scope of the WIL it offers. Make the most of your undergraduate experience and graduate with more than just a degree.

作为在工学结合领域工作了近20年的人，我的建议是：考虑上加拿大哪所大学时，询问一下它们有什么样的工学结合活动。想一想怎样做才是最适合自己的学习途径以及自己上大学有哪些目标。选择大学时，不要只看它的全球高校排名，还要考虑其工学结合活动的质量和规模。希望大家尽量利用好本科阶段，在毕业时拿到的不光是一纸文凭。