To: Dr. Erika Paterson, English 301 Instructor, Department of English, The University of British Columbia
From: Cathy Liu, Student in English 301
Date: Oct 16th, 2019
Subject: Formal Proposal for Improving the Internship Course Placement of University of Toronto Mississauga Commerce students
Introduction
Nowadays, a lot of the Top-Tier universities offers co-op programs that help prepare students starting off their career. These programs not only provide exposure to the real world working environment, but also allow students to explore where their passion lies. With the ever-changing evolution in technology, the job markets for fresh graduates are getting more and more competitive. Students in the Commerce program are expected to excel in multiple aspects such as but not limited to academic performance, networking skills, soft skills, relevant work experience, and extracurricular activities (case competitions). Although UTM does not offer co-op programs at all for the past decades, it recently opened an internship course that pairs around 20 qualified students with employers, while providing guidance, support, and evaluations. This course has attracted lots of students, but only around 20 people get placements for each semester.
The audience for this proposal is the MGT480 Course Director and Professional Development and Internships Coordinator from the Department of management of University of Toronto Mississauga. This course has provided great value and experience for lots of students, therefore I hope more students can get the exposure and benefits from it.
Problem Statement
The internship course (MGT480) opened recently has provided great opportunities for students to explore the job market and working environment, as well as providing valuable experience which increase the likelihood of landing a full-time position in the industry. However, this program is not attracting enough employers. As a result, it is extremely competitive to get accepted into the course and find a placement. As a result, students who does not have much work experience will struggle to find suitable jobs upon graduation.
Proposed Solution
This proposal provides a cost-effective and realistic plan to attract more employers to connect with UTM Commerce students and potentially improve the placement rate. The key to resolve the problem is to attract more employers through utilizing social media platforms, along with providing mentor support and interview preparation (such as pairing students up to practice interview with previous graduates and course coordinators).
Scope
In order to access the feasibility of increasing the placement rate of MGT480, I prepared a few questions:
- What is the current marketing strategy of MGT480 in finding suitable employers for Commerce students?
- How much support is the course providing in terms of interview preparation and mentorship?
- What are the main challenges in finding suitable employers?
- How likely will students enrol in this internship course given sufficient mentorship and interview preparation support?
Methods
My primary data sources will include consultations with the course coordinator (Meghan Tamane) and former MGT480 students. My secondary data source is the current UTM MGT 480 students.
My Qualification
I graduated with a Commerce degree from University of Toronto Mississauga in 2018. In my fourth year, I was accepted into MGT480 (the internship course) and worked for a startup as a financial analyst. I was very familiar with the initial applying and screening process, the interview process, as well as the evaluation process. As a former student from this course, my first-hand experience and my connection with the course coordinator will definitely support me for an in-depth study.
Conclusion
As a former Commerce student from UTM, I am well aware the challenges and competition students are facing nowadays. In order to prepare commerce students to kick start their professional career in today’s job market, the MGT480 Course Director and Course Coordinator need to take action to increase the placement rate of this course. By researching the scoped topics, I am confident to develop a feasible plan to improve the placement rate of the internship course. With your approval, I will begin research promptly.
October 19, 2021
Hello Cathy,
Thank you for posting your proposal to investigate ways to improve the Internship Course Placement at U of T. This is an interesting proposal and I think the investigation is doable and worthwhile. I have one caution for you to consider – you will want to create a survey for students, in place of ‘consultations’. An interview with the course co-ordinator is a good idea. You should prepare your interview questions and include them with your Progress Report. Interviews can take time to schedule, so the sooner you contact your interviewee, the better.
I look forward to learning more and reading your Progress Report.