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Program Overview
Program Overview
The EDGE Certificate Program is an opt-in experiential education certificate program for undergraduate students in traditional (non-co-op) programs of study. This program allows students to develop their professional skills, explore their career options, and learn how to market themselves to employers.
Program Requirements
To complete the EDGE certificate, students must finish six milestones:
- A skills identification and articulation workshop, where students practice recognizing their skills and expressing them to employers in a confident, concise fashion.
- A career development course, where students develop core career-seeking skills and align their career goals with their values, skills, and interests.
- Three work or community experiences, where students explore a wide variety of opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom and reflect on their personal growth.
- A capstone workshop, where students tie everything together and develop an action plan for post-graduation success.
Skills Identification and Articulation Workshop
Students complete a 1.5-hour workshop run by a CECA career advisor to practice recognizing their skills and expressing them to employers in a confident and concise fashion.
Career Development Course
Students complete PD1 EDGE “Career Fundamentals” online to develop their core career-seeking skills and align their career goals with values, skills, and interests. Alternatively, students can replace this with ARTS 111.
Three (3) Work or Community Experiences
Students can complete these work or community experience milestones in three different ways:
- Complete an experiential learning course that includes a work-integrated learning component.
- Experiential learning courses must involve at least 18 hours of work with an industry or community partner in a term.
- Students who want to complete an EDGE milestone with an experiential learning course need to pass the course and submit a reflective assignment.
- The industry or community partner also needs to submit an evaluation of the student.
- Complete an on-campus experience such as a work or volunteer opportunity linked to the University's faculties, student societies, clubs, offices, and services.
- On-campus experiences must involve at least 36 hours of work in a term.
- Students who want to receive an EDGE milestone for an on-campus experience need to complete a professional development (PD) course during the same term as their experience.
- They also need to submit a reflective assignment, and their supervisor must submit an evaluation.
- Complete an off-campus experience that is a non-University affiliated work or volunteer opportunity.
- Off-campus experiences must involve at least 36 hours of work in a term.
- Students who want to receive an EDGE milestone for an off-campus experience need to complete a professional development (PD) course during the same term as their experience.
- They also need to submit a reflective assignment, and their supervisor must submit an evaluation of their performance.
Capstone Workshop
The capstone workshop helps students tie all of their experiences together and develop an action plan for post-graduation success. Students who complete the workshop will look back on their journey through EDGE and set themselves up with a post-graduation checklist designed to complement their career or study goals. This workshop is facilitated by a career advisor from CECA.
Sample Pathways of PACS Students
Several sample pathways are provided to illustrate how students can complete the EDGE certificate program alongside their PACS studies. These pathways demonstrate the flexibility of the program and how it can be tailored to individual students' interests and career goals.
Sample 1:
| Fall Term | Winter Term | Spring Term
---|---|---|---
First Year | None (1A) | None (1B) | None (off)
Second Year | Skills Identification Workshop (2A) | PD1: Career Fundamentals (2B) | None (off)
Third Year | Volunteering with The Women's Centre & PD3: Communication (3A) | None (3B) | PACS 390: Internship
Fourth Year | Volunteering with the Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support & PD8: Intercultural Skills (4A) | Capstone Workshop (4B) | N/A
Sample 2:
| Fall Term | Winter Term | Spring Term
---|---|---|---
First year | None (1A) | None (1B) | None (off)
Second year | Volunteering off-campus with House of Friendship food program & PD9: Ethical Decision Making (2A) | Skills Identification Workshop (2B) | PACS 390: Internship
Third year | PD1: Career Fundamentals (3a) | RS 291/ARTS 390: Encounter KW (3B) | None (off)
Fourth year | None (4A) | Capstone Workshop (4B) | N/A
Sample 3:
| Fall Term | Winter Term | Spring Term
---|---|---|---
First year | None (1A) | PD1: Career Fundamentals (1B) | None (off)
Second year | None (2A) | Volunteering off-campus with House of Friendship food program & PD9: Ethical Decision Making (2B) | None (off)
Third year | Working with Ray of Hope & PD7: Conflict Resolution (3A) | Skills Identification Workshop (3B) | None (off)
Fourth year | PACS 395 Travel Course with Reading Week Trip (4A) | Capstone Workshop (4B) | N/A
Program Details
The EDGE Certificate Program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive and experiential education that complements their academic studies. By completing the six milestones, students can develop their professional skills, explore their career options, and learn how to market themselves to employers. The program is flexible and can be tailored to individual students' interests and career goals.
University and College Information
Conrad Grebel University College is situated on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (Neutral), Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. The college offers various programs, including Conflict Management, Mennonite Studies, Music, Peace and Conflict Studies, and Theological Studies.
Program Offerings
The college offers a range of programs, including:
- Conflict Management
- Mennonite Studies
- Music
- Peace and Conflict Studies
- Theological Studies
- Master of Peace and Conflict Studies
