CICE Students Learn Essential Workplace Skills

Students from the CICE program are completing the first six weeks of the required field placement hours in a unique and experiential way. Ayla Ludwig, Field Placement Coordinator in the CICE program, has connected with several local organizations to provide second year students with valuable opportunities to continue developing and learning new workplace skills. Field placement is a great learning environment for students to focus on developing the essential workplace skills of collaboration, communication, creativity, problem solving, reading, writing, digital skills, and numeracy. The Government of Canada has identified these skills as Skills for Success.   

The students began September 17^th by working with Willow Springs Creative Centre to prepare for the fall fair themed harvest market. The day was busy with the students being responsible for making several key items for the final market. Students worked together to mix concrete for ornamental pumpkins and they were also tasked with making signs from cedar and willow. This particular week was an excellent week for collaboration and creativity!

The following week, students met at the Roots to Harvest garden on Lillie Street, where they started the day with a tour of the large-scale urban garden. Students spent the rest of the day harvesting remaining vegetables, seed saving, and helping close the garden for the season. The importance of extrinsic motivation in a workplace was a big discussion at the end of the day, as students had to pick A LOT of tiny tomatoes and many bean seeds to crack out of shells.  

At the end of each placement, students debrief to identify and record the various essential workplace skills used, highlighting specific examples of who used the skill and how the skill was put into practice. 

The hard working crew will return to Roots to Harvest mid-October. Students will also be supporting projects at Eco-Superior, assisting with food preparation at the Regional Food Distribution Association, and continuing to save seeds for Superior Seed Producers.

Following the group placements, the students will transition to individual placements with several organizations and businesses in the community.

Thank you, Ayla, for providing CICE students with an engaging and fun hands-on learning experience!