WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING

March is National Co-op and WIL Month and Wednesday, March 23 is National Day of WIL! Work-Integrated Learning is in FAST’s DNA giving students the hands-on, career-driven education Humber College is known for.

To celebrate Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning, we are spotlighting three FAST students who conducted their placement at Magna. This valuable industry partner supports student development by providing hands-on, invaluable work-integrated learning opportunities across our advanced manufacturing and design programs. Here are just some of our student success stories!

WIL Success Spotlight

Tues, March 1, 2022

Shanelle Weber
Program of Study: Electromechanical Engineering Technology, Co-op
Work Placement: Magna Closures – Technical Lab
When: September – December 2021

What did you do during your placement?

In the role of Test Technician (Co-op), I found myself doing things I would never have imagined and honestly before starting at Humber, would have been scared to try. I made use of a wide variety of tools and even worked in a variety of environmental chambers (from hot as an oven to icy cold or humid).

My main responsibility was to perform tests and report the results. As you can imagine, accuracy was a priority and I learned a lot about the testing set up process, the importance of calibration of measurement tools and reporting information of any errors. The work was hard, but rewarding as I got to see much of a project completed during the four months I was there.

What were some of the most important things you learned during your placement?

I am lucky to have been considered for a co-op experience with Magna. While Humber provided me with a lot of great training in my first year, my position as Test Technician allowed me to improve those skill sets and build confidence.

I had great mentors that encouraged me to do more challenging projects. I also had a fantastic team that gave me support and guidance whenever I needed it. I feel that Magna’s best quality is their people as they are all dedicated, passionate, brilliant and inspire that in new team members. I have built a network in an industry I may potentially enter into in the future.

I haven’t decided yet on where I want to end up when I graduate, but I feel that Magna has provided me with an excellent stepping stone to reach wherever I want to go.

Kamil Bafia
Program of Study: Electromechanical Engineering Technology, Co-op
Work Placement: Magna Electronics Vision Centre – Vectrics
When: May – December 2021

What did you do during your placement?

In my role as Co-op Engineering Technician (Fixture and Integration), my primary job duties included working on 3D CADs of prototype brackets, designing and drawing electrical schematics, testing new features on self-driving cars, creating safety features in C++, and aiding in data collection.

What were some of the most important things you learned during your placement?

One of the key things I learned in my placement was safety awareness as we were working with autonomous vehicles and self-driving features. This was very important for my safety and that of the rest of the team working on the vehicles. Another major learning curve was being part of such a large team of engineers. I really got the chance to experience and be a member of an amazing group of people and got to develop real-life products. One of the projects I contributed to was assisting in testing the features that were implemented on the brand new 2022 Toyota Tundra pickup truck. We had developed some of the key features on the truck and I had the pleasure of working on implementing electronics and driving the truck for data collection.

Juanita Franks
Program of Study: Bachelor of Industrial Design
Work Placement: Massiv Automated Systems, a Division of Magna International Inc.
When: May – August 2021

What did you do during your placement?

My role was Technical Process Writer, and most of the projects that I worked on were on a smaller scale and involved the creation of layouts and plans for robotic assembly lines for the manufacturing of automotive structures and sub-assemblies for clients. I also created build sequences that showed the process of how the automobile part would come together in the assembly line, created full-size 2D CAD models of automobile parts for layouts, and assisted team members in making CAD assemblies.

What were some of the most important things you learned during your placement?

After a couple of weeks at my work placement I noticed how closely related the skills and techniques of a technical process writer is to that of an industrial designer and I was also able to acquire new skills that would enrich my abilities and understanding as a designer.

I was better able to understand the development of assembly lines and the importance of efficient cycles times. Now equipped with such knowledge, I feel my understanding of the manufacturing process has been greatly enhanced, and I will be able to apply this knowledge to design products. At the start of my placement, I was only able to utilize one type of CAD software, however, following my internship I am well-versed in at least three different software packages, and I discovered I can quickly adapt to learn new software. Lastly, I am quite reserved and do not engage in conversation relatively easily, but this placement has improved my ability to communicate more effectively as well as to demonstrate initiative regarding my learning. As a result, I was better able to work in a team setting and complete projects in an efficient and timely manner.

In addition to acquiring new skills, I felt this work placement provided me an invaluable opportunity to connect with professionals in my field that will be helpful to my future career success. For students in work placement, I would say participating is a beneficial, rich experience that will hone your various skills and allow you to further yourself professionally.