Student leaders build bridge to Career Centre

It’s one thing to hear advice from somebody decades older than you; it’s another to hear it from a peer. That’s why Ryerson’s Career Centre has introduced the Campus Engagement Ambassadors – a group of nine student leaders who work directly with fellow students, planning and promoting events and workshops to help build career-related skills.

“They’re our bridge,” said Rachel Barreca, manager of campus engagement , at Ryerson’s Career Centre. “The credibility of a group of students speaking the language of students is much more effective that having me – a middle-aged professional staff member – saying, ‘Come to a mock interview workshop.’ It lends so much more credibility.”

In the first semester of the 2015-16 school year, campus engagement ambassadors spoke to almost 3,500 second, third and fourth-year students in classroom talks. They work directly with course unions, student societies and clubs on collaborative event planning and programming. There is a different ambassador embedded in each of Ryerson’s faculties.

“What they can do is build relationships with student leaders who can connect us with other students, and convince those students to come to events, workshops, networking sessions, etcetera, so that they’re benefitting from the expertise that we have here,” said Barreca.

“These ambassadors say: we would like to collaborate with you – what are people talking about in the classroom? What are they saying in terms of what they’re nervous about in their career development after they graduate? What are they thinking about? What’s happening in terms of internships and co-op placements and summer jobs?’”

The ambassador role is a paid, eight-month work-study position. “I’ve learned a lot about students and the needs we have, career-wise,” said Lavinia Tanzim, a current Campus Engagement Ambassador. “Some people think the Career Centre is not for them. They think because they’re in first-year, or because they’re in such-and-such program, they think the Career Centre doesn’t apply. But we can still help them.”

The Career Centre is recruiting for summer 2016 and fall 2016/winter 2017 work-study positions. For information about how to apply, go to https://www.torontomu.ca/career/students/work-with-us.html.