Connexions Program
Contact Information
Salima Boujanah
Relationship Manager
613-562-5800 x 4663
What is Connexions?
Connexions is an initiative established by the Telfer School of Management’s Career Centre. Its mission is to foster strong links between Telfer students and the business community through practical volunteer work.
Connexions offers students the chance to acquire experience in their field of study and provides employers with qualified personnel.
Supported by the Career Centre, students find their own internship, ensuring the experience fits with their goals and objectives, and work within that organization one day a week for a one full academic term. Students are not paid for their work; for them, the objective is to gain work experience. Upon successful completion of an internship, students submit an internship report evaluated by a Telfer professor and receive three academic units.
What will Connexions do for me as an employer?
- Improved productivity for businesses through additional motivated personnel.
- Opportunity for businesses to evaluate potential employees.
- Minimal expense for training and supervision.
What we offer you
Qualified and motivated third- and fourth-year business students willing to work on a specific project for a period of 12 weeks for 7 hours per week.
Students have many fields of study within commerce such as:
- accounting
- commerce
- entrepreneurship
- finance
- healthcare analytics
- human resources management
- international management
- management
- management information systems and analytics
- marketing
What we ask of you
- Offer a motivating and challenging work environment.
- Guide the student during the early stages of their internship.
- Provide an interesting and educational experience.
- Complete registration and evaluation forms.
Program Structure
The Connexions Program is offered in the fall, winter and summer terms.
|
Connexions Term |
Internship Start and End | Recruitment Period |
Connexions Network Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | September - December | February to August | Winter (End of February/ Early March) |
| Winter | January - April | October to December | Fall (End of October/ Early November) |
| Summer | May - August | February to April | Winter (End of February/Early March) |
|
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|
Upcoming Connexions Network Event
Connexions Network (for Summer/Fall 2024 work term):
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Contact
How can I participate?
In this program, students are reponsible for finding their own internship, however the Career Centre organizes a networking event called Connexions Network for students and potential employers to meet. We highly recommend interested employers attend the Connexions Network event to discuss possible internships with students.
The recruitment period for a Connexions students takes place one semester before the work term (except for the fall). Connexions Networks are offered in the winter term (for summer and fall internships) and in the fall term (for winter internships). The one offered in winter is also for internships offered during the following fall term, and is offered at that time in order to reach as many students as possible.
Connexions Network is an informal event, as regards the setup; however, students do have resumés on hand to distribute. It is left to employers’ discretion whether they bring business cards or job descriptions.
Should employers not be able to attend the event to network with students, they can still publish available internships and their descriptions on Career Launch, they will be accessible and promotes to students in the Program. It is then up to the students to apply and connect with the employer should the opportunity interest them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Connexions is an unpaid internship program – students are not paid for their work. The main objective of the Program is to give students work experience.
Students work with an organization for a minimum of 7 hours a week for a 12-week period. It is preferable to welcome a student for a full day to give them a well-rounded experience of working in your office, however employers may work around a student’s schedule (e.g. allow the student to work 3.5 hours, 2 times per week). We do ask, however, that employers respect the minimum of 7 hours per week.
Students are not limited to any specific job. The objective is to provide students with practical experience in their field of study. Therefore, allowing them to have their hands in many types of projects will be beneficial to them and to you.
- Meeting with the student early on to discuss expectations and learning objectives.
- Training, mentoring and supporting the student to ensure success.
- Meeting with the student regularly to analyze performance and offer advice.
- Submitting a mid-term and a final evaluation of the student's work, measured against his or her objectives.
Once you have connected with the Program Manager and completed your introductory forms, you will be invited to the Connexions Network, a networking event where you will meet students for the first time. Following the networking event, a list of prospective employers is sent to the students, and it is their responsibility to contact you to secure an internship. If you cannot attend the Connexions Network event, you can still send your internship description to the Program Manager, and we will promote your opportunity to the students. It is still their responsibility to contact you to secure an internship.
This is not a matching program. There is no guarantee you will find a student each semester, or even receive any applications. Application levels vary depending on the candidate pool you wish to recruit from and on the jobs available to students at that time.
As Connexions offers unpaid internship opportunities, international students do not need a work permit. International students in the Connexions Program hold a valid study permit and are full-time students.
You are welcome to take on more than one student at a time. However, you must have valid work to for all students to complete during their internship hours, and be able to provide sufficient supervision and feedback of their work.
