At King's, students have the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom. Job Shadow placements are one-day opportunities for students to observe a professional in a career role they are interested in pursuing. They are held annually during the Winter Term Reading Week. Job shadows provide insight into the day-to-day life in the occupations students are interested in pursuing and a chance to build their professional network. At the same time, it provides local employers with a better understanding of the high-quality and transferrable skills that King's students can provide.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, 45 students signed up to take part in the Job Shadow program. They had the chance to job shadow at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Ford Keast LLP, the Thames Valley District School Board, London Rehab, the office of City Councilor Skylar Franke '13, and the King's Library.
As part of Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) National Co-Op and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Month and the National Day of WIL on March 27, 2024, we would like to spotlight the experiences of some of our students who took advantage of this opportunity and the community partners they job shadowed with.
Andreas Kokkoros, Job Shadowed with RBC
"I was very happy to forge connections with members of the team and be present for a couple of meetings with bank clients seeking financial advice. From the moment I arrived at the branch, they made me feel welcome. The staff were happy to let me shadow them for certain periods of time, and all my questions were answered. My experience there was valuable and exceeded my expectations. It allowed me to experience the daily responsibilities across various roles within a branch and network with people in the industry."
Steve Shajimon - Job Shadowed with the Office of City Councilor Skylar Franke '13
I think the greatest praise that I can give is that I left the Job Shadow program feeling more optimistic which to me is significant. I think it goes to show how inspiring Skylar was in promoting her role and the importance of city governance as a whole. I left the placement wanting to learn more about the City Councilor in my ward and engage more in the governance in my ward. While it was not even in my radar before the job shadow, running for the office of a City Councilor is now a possibility for my future career."
Aayat Yasser, Job Shadowed with RBC
"I am grateful for this opportunity and for the assistance provided throughout. I was able to expand my experiential knowledge in the field of finance, as well as make great connections with some amazing people at RBC".
Catherine McCurdy, Job Shadowed with King's Library
"The whole team was welcoming and I was able to see a variety of roles and the tasks of various colleagues. Honestly, I don't think I've ever been happier than when I got to re-shelve books, although there wasn't a part I didn't enjoy."
Gabrielle Giannantonio, Manager, Client and Office Services, Ford Keast LLP
"It is a form of recruitment that we had not explored before. It was a great opportunity to connect with a student one-on-one."
Jason Hatch, Secondary School Teacher with the Thames Valley District School Board
"I think this is a fantastic program which helps to give students a real world look into a career that they are considering."
Amjad Yahia, Occupational Therapist, London Rehab
"This opportunity allows the student to decide if a career in occupational therapy or health care is relevant for them. It was through a job shadowing experience similar to this one that I decided to pursue this career. Advocacy for Occupational Therapy as a career is a responsibility of all occupational therapists registered with the College of Occupational Therapy of Ontario."
