Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Awards

In November 2024, the UBC Career Centre announced the number of awards allocated to each Faculty/School. Please contact your 2025 Faculty/School/Department Coordinator to find out how many awards are available to your Faculty/School for the summer term.

2025 Resources for Faculty/School/Department Coordinators

Please find important reference tools and required documents below:

• Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Awards Information Sheet for Faculty/School/Department Coordinators 25-26
• Flowchart Information for Faculty/School/Department Coordinators 25-26
• Flowchart Information for Faculty Supervisors 25-26
• Flowchart Information for Faculty Supervisors 25-26 (Faculty of Arts)
• Flowchart Information for Students 25-26
• Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Awards Information Sheet for Appointing Students 25-26 (Updated in March 2025)
• Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Awards Information Sheet for Appointing Students 25-26 (Faculty of Arts) (Updated in March 2025)
• Summer 2025 FAQs  (Updated November 7, 2024)

Faculty members will need to submit their research proposal on UBC CareersOnline. 

The Summer 2025 Call for Research Proposals will open from November 25, 2024 to January 29, 2025. If you have any questions regarding the application, contact worklearn.iura@ubc.ca at least 5 business days before the application closes.

Proposals submitted for the Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Awards serve two purposes:

1. To apply for a subsidy from the program,

2. To provide a clear and detailed position to communicate the work opportunity to students.

Download a step-by-step submission guide on how to submit a research proposal on UBC CareersOnline.

You will need a UBC CareersOnline EMPLOYER account to submit the proposal. In the research proposal, please address the following:

• Outline of Research Project - Please provide a high-level overview of the research project. How will the student advance and contribute to the goals of the project?
• Student Responsibilities - Please provide a description of the different tasks that the student will be performing. Who will be the student's supervisor? Please describe the level of interaction and ongoing support the student will receive. 
• Skills Gained from the Position - Select all skills from the picklist that apply to the research position. 
• Qualifications - What skills/knowledge should the student possess to be successful in this position? 

You may also refer to a sample of the WLIURA S25 Application Form (pdf) to better understand the various fields that need to be filled out during the application process on UBC Careers Online. Disclaimer: Please note that this form is for your reference alone and we only accept applications submitted online through UBC Careers Online by the deadline of Jan 29, 2025. 

Please contact worklearn.iura@ubc.ca if you have any questions regarding the research proposal and/or the program.

Flowchart Information for Faculty Supervisors 25-26

Flowchart Information for Faculty Supervisors 25-26 (Faculty of Arts)

Approved research proposals will be posted on UBC CareersOnline for two weeks during the posting dates (March 10 - 26, 2025). If you have indicated that a candidate has already been identified for the position, it will not be posted on UBC CareersOnline, and you will not receive any student applications. 

If you would like to learn how to manage your applications and student communications or generate an applicant view book, please contact our office at worklearn.iura@ubc.ca. 

Interviewing and Hiring Students: 

Visit UBC HR for information on general student hiring practices, and our office is also available to support you if you have questions about interviewing, selecting, or supervising students. We provide templates for interviews below in the Resources for Supervisors section.     

As supervisors, you are responsible for your student(s) wages.  Once you have selected your candidate, faculty supervisors must appoint their student by submitting a Hire Business Process (BP) through Workday by the deadline date provided. Hire BPs will be automatically routed to our approval queue once submitted in Workday. It's important to have students appointed in their positions prior to starting work.

If you have any questions about the Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Awards student appointment process, please contact Workplace Learning staff, UBC Career Centre at worklearn.iura@ubc.ca.

If you have specific questions about Workday, please contact the UBC ISC team for further support. 

2025 Information Sheet for Appointing Students (Updated in March 2025)

2025 Information Sheet for Appointing Students (Faculty of Arts) (Updated in March 2025)

The normal duration of the award is a minimum of 16 consecutive weeks.  Award winners are required to work full time (35 paid hours/week plus 1-hour unpaid lunch break) during the summer term (May 1 – August 31).  Under exceptional circumstances students can work less than 16 consecutive weeks (prior approval from the UBC Career Centre is needed).

Visit UBC HR for information on general student hiring and practices and Resources for Supervisors section below for onboarding resources and evaluation templates for student staff, and UBC Safety and Risk Services for information on mandatory training for all UBC workers. 

Site Visits

Staff from the UBC Career Centre will conduct site visits midway through the summer term (June/July). Site visits offer a chance for students and supervisors to reflect on and share how their experience has been going, particularly in the areas of learning, challenge, and growth. Site visits are consistently cited by students as a powerful tool for them to articulate their learning experiences and transferable skills. We will contact you directly if you have been selected for a site visit. 

Surveys

Students and faculty supervisors will be asked to complete a survey of their experience in August, which will be initiated by the UBC Career Centre. All responses are carefully reviewed to help us make program improvements.

The UBC Career Centre will arrange to transfer $6,000 (per student) to Faculty/School accounts at the end of the work placement (September/October). These funds will be transferred to the Worktag that is used to pay the student’s salary in Workday.