Hands-on work and volunteer experience are core components to experiential learning, providing students with the ability to not only learn first-hand about a range of environments, but also develop self-reflection skills which are critical for expanding career awareness.

Students who gain workplace experience while completing their degree will often be more competitive upon graduation and will have enhanced the following skills:

Mechanical engineering student at a co-op placement

Co-op

Build an impressive resume while gaining new skills and building a professional network. Students will have access to a variety of job opportunities, some of which are exclusive to co-op students. Relevant work experience will help give you a professional edge.

Two students working in a lab and looking at a mixed solution

Research

The Undergraduate Student Research Awards are available to UBC Engineering domestic and international undergraduate students. Students have the opportunity to complete a paid, full-time, 16-week work term by conducting research with faculty supervision.

Work Lean student helping out at UBC Engineering Open House booth

Work Learn

The Work Learn Program supports meaningful work experiences on campus that offer current UBC students the opportunity to develop their professional skills. Participants will gain mentorship opportunities, an expanded network, and develop self awareness.

EUS student executive participating at UBC Imagine Day

Volunteer

Apply your classroom knowledge to a good cause. Whether you choose to volunteer here at UBC or at an external organization, not only will you be lending a hand, you will be gaining valuable experience that will build toward your career goals.

Man working with 3D printer

Entrepreneurship

Are you an innovative thinker, want to take an idea to the next level, or are simply curious about entrepreneurship? Expand your knowledge through opportunities provided by the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS), Faculty of Applied Science, and entrepreneurship@UBC.

Student taking notes

Engineering Career Peer Coaches

Learn more about career fundamentals from how to write a top-notch resume and cover letter, to how best approach professional networking. Develop in-depth skills that help propel your career and make you stand out.

UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. E-commerce Cart A shopping cart. Time A clock. Communication skills Pencil with speech cloud Chats Two speech clouds. Emotional Intelligence Left-side half heart and right-side half brain shape representation Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Home A house in silhouette. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. Leadership User icons presented as a pyramid hierarchy Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Networking Network of nodes Telephone An antique telephone. Play A media play button. Professionalism Hands shaking Search A magnifying glass. Arrow indicating share action A directional arrow. Speech Bubble A speech bubble. Star An outline of a star. Teamwork Three user icons with overlap Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. User A silhouette of a person. Vimeo The logo for the Vimeo video sharing service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service. Future of work A logo for the Future of Work category. Eye A logo representing an eye Inclusive leadership A logo for the Inclusive leadership category. Planetary health A logo for the Planetary health category. Solutions for people A logo for the Solutions for people category. Thriving cities A logo for the Thriving cities category. University for future A logo for the University for future category.