Taking classroom learning to the workplace

Adrienne Bender is in her third year of the Bachelor of Tourism Management program at Vancouver Island University. In 2023 and 2024, she worked with the BC Wildfire Service as a firefighter on an initial attack crew in her hometown of Burns Lake. During this experience, Adrienne aided in wildfire suppression by finding access, working with heavy equipment, constructing access trails, performing hose lays and suppressing wildfires. 

“This has inspired me to realize that helping these small rural communities is a passion of mine and I would like to continue working in areas of wildfire prevention and natural disaster response,” she says. 

“Due to Adrienne's vast knowledge of the local area, I was able to rely on her to navigate to each fire in a timely and safe manner,” says a representative from the BC Wildfire Service. “This led to fast and efficient response times, allowing us to put out multiple wildfires before they damaged any community resources.”

Alison Kuenzig is a wine enthusiast in her final year of the Bachelor of Tourism Management program. Working at The Wine Works in Nanaimo provided Alison with mentorship, helping her to develop a myriad of business-related skills in a dynamic environment. 

“This experience has been a pivotal part of my academic journey, allowing me to develop practical skills and gain valuable business insights. It has inspired me to aim higher and embrace challenges with confidence,” she says.   

“Alison has become an integral part of the Wine Works team and has taken the lead on social media platforms for our company,” says Fiona Berry. “She makes insightful contributions towards marketing to a younger demographic and follows up with analytics. She designs and executes our monthly client newsletter and creates custom wine labels for special events and business promotions.”

Audry Lamprecht already has a Bachelor of Education degree and was an elementary school teacher in South Africa for 20 years before moving to Canada. She decided to broaden her commitment to the education of young children and enrolled in the Early Childhood Education and Care program at VIU. She says the combination of academics and work-integrated learning in the program was a completely new educational experience that has better prepared her for early childhood work environments in Canada.

“The work-integrated learning significantly enhanced my educational journey and has given me a higher level of comfort and competence within the practicum setting,” she says. “It has been especially beneficial to me as I am a mature student who has not studied full-time for many years.”

“We would 100% offer a position in our organization to Audrey,” says Louise Dion, of Jolly Giant Daycare. “Audrey is the most calm, relaxed and supportive person that I have had the experience of working with. She took time to build relationships with all the children and staff in the whole centre.”

From a young age, Esteban has demonstrated a remarkable drive for independence, self-reliance and a strong work ethic. His exploration for higher education brought him to the WEST (Workplace Essential Skills Training) program. Currently in his second year, Esteban has embraced the program’s unique integration of classroom learning and practical work experiences and has gained valuable skills that are directly supportive of his life goals. 

“This program is designed for people like me with significant learning barriers to overcome,” he says. “The variety of work experience opportunities show that my way of processing tasks is different than others. Being in this program is a great career step for me and will help me to work toward my dream job and live independently.”

“Esteban's positivity and willingness to engage with staff and students puts others at ease and draws people in,” says Wanda Erikson, an Educational Advisor at VIU’s tiwšɛmawtxʷ campus. “He is curious about other students’ experiences, listens without judgment and is a strong advocate for his fellow students.”

Choosing to earn an Early Childhood Education and Care diploma at VIU has enabled Loretta Hanson to find fulfillment in the type of career she wants and not take away precious moments with her own children and home life. Working at the Tla’amin Child Development and Resource Centre, Loretta has proved to herself that if she puts her mind to it, she can achieve anything. 

“The cohort that Tla’Amin and VIU created was a wonderful educational journey that has forever changed my life and my family’s,” says Loretta. “I have a job that I absolutely love and enjoy going to. I can work during the day, Monday to Friday, so my children’s extracurricular activities do not suffer and neither does my home. These work-integrated learning programs create successful, certified employable individuals who are ready for the workforce.”

“Loretta comes in with a smile every day, ready to do anything and everything needed of her,” says Teanna Adams, Tla’amin Child Resource Development Centre. “She never sits back and waits to be told what to do, she listens to any constructive instruction and takes the best of all she learns to become a thoughtful and compassionate educator.” 

Muskan is a results-driven professional with an MBA from VIU. She has worked with global organizations like Honeywell and Johnson Controls, driving revenue growth and managing key client partnerships. Currently, she serves as a Sales Manager at Trane Technologies for the British Columbia region, where she was kept on after completing her work experience in the summer of 2024. 

“The internship emphasized the importance of continuous learning, motivating me to seek further certifications in HVAC systems, building automation, and sales strategies,” says Muskan. “My role at Trane Technologies strengthened my ability to develop and present HVAC and controls-based solutions, convert leads into opportunities, and manage long-term client partnerships. Expanding my professional network through industry interactions has opened new career opportunities and provided valuable mentorship for future growth.

“Muskan is an invaluable asset to the company,” says Drew Kells, Trane Technologies. “Her ability to drive revenue growth, develop and maintain key client relationships, and optimize sales processes has had a direct and lasting impact on the company’s success in British Columbia.” 

Sitayesh Cheryl Malik is the Administrative and Systems Associate at VIU’s Centre for Experiential Learning and Student Engagement. She holds an undergraduate degree in business from Forman Christian College, Pakistan, and an MBA from VIU. Since October 2024, Sitayesh has contributed to CEL operations by supporting the experiential learning database and enhancing efficiency in processes. 

“Like many students, I’ve walked a winding path – one that’s taken me through administrative roles, teaching and even leadership positions, yet I found myself still searching for clarity,” says Sitayesh.  “The WIL opportunities allowed me to reflect, grow and finally uncover a clear direction for my career and I came to understand that my true calling lies in working within post-secondary institutions to support students – either directly, by mentoring and guiding them, or indirectly, by empowering teams that do this work.”

“Sitayesh’s contributions significantly impacted the centre and the broader VIU community,” says Danielle Johnsrude, Director of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning. “Her efforts in developing a student leadership programming handbook established a resource that continues to benefit student retention initiatives. This handbook has since been adopted as a gold standard by the institution for onboarding and training across multiple program areas and is shared as a template.”