Educator spotlight: April Coe, Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Coordinator, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

We recently spoke with April Coe, Work-Integrated Learning Coordinator at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton, as the new school year began to discuss how Riipen is enhancing students’ learning in their new Clean Energy program. Find out what she had to say about her experience and that of her students.   

Why did you partner with Riipen? 

The Clean Energy program was brand new, and we weren’t connected to a lot of businesses. So, we started working with Riipen to find companies within Canada that are hydrogen or carbon-focused. They helped us find three or four companies in Western Canada, and we've been able to make some solid connections with them for student WIL placements. The companies had such good experiences with our students that they've come back to us outside of WIL with additional student requests! 

The students also had positive experiences, and they were excited to have the opportunity to work with diverse companies. We were connected to one company in San Francisco, and it was really neat for our students to see what the States are doing with hydrogen and carbon, to compare the approaches of the two countries, and to broaden their networking circles. 

What did students learn by working outside the classroom? 

Our students have talked about the challenges they’ve seen in the real world. For example, we have a course on life cycle assessments which are used to calculate carbon emissions. Some of our students worked for companies that do them and have reported back how different it is when there are so many moving parts. It’s the same formula students learned in the classroom, but they had to troubleshoot when they ran into questions about the numbers. And they can limit it to one type of carbon emission or a lone manufacturing plant but in the end, they need to report how many total carbon credits they are using to the head of the company. 

Why are experiential learning opportunities so important?   

I think they are important for various reasons. First, we want our brilliant students to connect with people who are already in the industry to help it grow, evolve, and innovate, as well as push Clean Energy into the mainstream. 

And second, it's important for students to put into practice what they’ve learned in the classroom. When you are working with hydrogen or any biofuel substance, it has unique properties so you need to learn each way to care and handle it because what we teach in class doesn't necessarily translate the same way to the real world. And when companies hire new employees, they want them to have some experience so they can hit the ground running.

What would you tell a fellow educator about Riipen?

The team at Riipen was an extension of my own right hand. It was so incredible to have them as an extra resource. They never left me hanging. Other platforms that we use don't have that level of dedication and interaction. And the companies that we have connected to through the platform have been very interested in continuing to build relationships with our institution.

Riipen is an incredibly well-designed platform. I love it and I've heard other people speak highly of it as well. It’s the place to be if you're a WIL coordinator, the place you want to start, grow, thrive, develop, and connect.  

Book a chat with our team to discover how Riipen can enhance your work-integrated learning program.

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