A message from Suzanne Blanchard, Vice-President (Students and Enrolment)

As part of their university experience, students can participate in external experiential learning opportunities. These may include – but are not limited to – internships, work terms, practicums, mentored entrepreneurial opportunities and service learning in volunteer settings. In some cases, a student could chose to pursue one of these experiences in the form of an unpaid work placement.

The Government of Ontario has recently made changes to ensure students are covered under the workplace insurance provided by the Ontario Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development. Carleton wants to ensure that students have a safe and enjoyable experience while participating in an unpaid work placement and receive proper insurance coverage in the event of injury. To this end, the university has purchased insurance coverage for work placements where the ministry coverage may not apply. We have a communications plan in place to ensure that our students are well informed about unpaid work placement requirements and we have also completed outreach with faculty and administrators.

The Risk and Insurance website contains all relevant information and forms for students, instructors and staff.

If you have any questions, please contact Tony Lackey, Carleton’s Director of Risk and Insurance.