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WACE World Conference 2025 - Keynote Speakers |
| Hervé Jean-Marie Marchet
Topic: The Next Generation Campus: A Student-Centric Approach & The Future of AI in Education Herve is a leader in education transformation, driving the adoption of Amazon Web Services in the MEA region to enhance service delivery through technology. With over a decade of entrepreneurial experience, he co-founded and led start-ups in Technology, EdTech, and AI, gaining deep insights into the intersection of education and innovation. As Group CTO of GEMS Education, he played a key role in advancing K-12 learning. Previously, he spent 12 years at Apple as EMEA Education Director, overseeing a $2 billion education business. His early career included leadership roles at Packard Bell NEC and Zenith Data Systems, honing his expertise in operations, sales, and marketing. Holding an Executive MBA from HEC, one of Europe’s top business schools, Herve is a recognized thought leader in integrating technology into education, leveraging his vast experience to shape the future of learning. |
| Melissa (Mel) Gee Kee Topic: “Reimagining Careers - ‘Shape your own adventure’ “ Melissa Gee Kee (Mel) is a seasoned HR leader with over 21 years of experience across consulting and in-house roles in both startups and large corporations. She has worked and lived across the globe, including Japan, the UK, the US, Southeast Asia, Turkey, Iran, and Central Asia, and recently relocated to the Netherlands for her role in Unilever Ice Cream Division. After earning a degree in Business with majors in HR Management and Organizational Communication from Queensland University of Technology, Mel began her career in retail before moving to Japan, where she worked in corporate training and HR consultancy, including a secondment to Microsoft. She later co-founded an HR consultancy startup. Since joining Unilever in 2008, Mel has led initiatives in learning, talent, and leadership development, pioneering award-winning digital selection processes and Inner Mobility Flex. She also served as Global HR Strategy Director, shaping Unilever’s HR agenda and transformation globally. |
 | Dr. Fatma Nur Akın
Ministry of Industry and Technology, Head of Technology Education Department Topic: Sector on Campus Program Dr. Fatma Nur Akın received her B.Sc. in Chemistry Education from Middle East Technical University (METU) in 2009 alongside a minor in Chemical Engineering. She completed her Ph.D. in Mathematics and Science Education at METU in 2017. Her academic work focuses on teacher education, science education, PCK, TPACK, and out of school learning. She worked as a research assistant at METU (2009–2017). Afterwards, she worked as an expert at ÖSYM Department of Measurement and Evaluation (2018–2021), and TÜBİTAK Department of Science and Society (2021–2024). She contributed to major national projects such as Deneyap Technology Workshops and Science Centers. Dr. Akın is currently working as the Head of Technology Education Department at the Directorate General of National Technology. In addition, she teaches graduate-level course at METU. |
| Aslı ACI Topic: Sector on Campus Program Aslı completed her undergraduate studies in Industrial Engineering and earned her graduate degree in Management Information Systems from Gazi University. Since May 2024, she has been leading the “Sector on Campus Program” within the Technology Education Department of the General Directorate of National Technology at the Ministry of Industry and Technology Turkeye . In this role, she oversees initiatives that strengthen collaboration between academia and industry, with a focus on technological innovation and workforce development. Previously, Aslı served as a Senior Scientific Programs Specialist at TÜBİTAK, where she contributed to key science and technology policies, strategic plans, and support programs. She played a vital role in initiatives such as the Science and Technology High Council and the National Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy. Additionally, she was involved in quality assessment and stakeholder satisfaction frameworks, ensuring alignment with national science and technology policies across multiple TÜBİTAK units. |
 | Emre ÖNAL Topic: Sector on Campus Program Emre is a dynamic professional with a strong foundation in mathematics, holding a Bachelor's degree from Bilkent University. He currently serves as an expert at the Ministry of Industry and Technology, Turkeye where he leads the "Sector on Campus" initiative. This program fosters collaboration between academia and industry by integrating cutting-edge technological advancements into academic curricula. With over a decade of diverse experience, Emre has excelled in roles spanning scientific program management, revenue analysis, and project consulting. Prior to his current role, he spent eight years at Turkish Airlines, where he advanced through various positions, including Senior Revenue Management Analyst. His responsibilities included market analysis, pricing strategy development, and revenue optimization across multiple international markets. His extensive experience in both public and private sectors equips him with a well-rounded perspective on technology, business strategy, and industry-academic collaboration. |
WACE World Conference 2025 - AI AND WIL PANEL
| Imran Mouna Imran Mouna is the Co-Founder of InStage, an industry leader in AI assistance for higher-ed career and co-op programs. He’s dedicated to making career readiness more accessible through 24/7 AI-driven tools that simplify routine tasks and empower students to excel. Under Imran’s leadership, InStage has been spotlighted on CBC’s Metro Morning, won first place in Amazon’s global Education and Training Simulation competition, and helped thousands of learners refine their professional skills. He also hosts the Future of Higher Education Podcast, exploring groundbreaking trends that are shaping tomorrow’s academic and workforce landscape. |
| Esteban Veintimilla Esteban Veintimilla first recognized the gap between higher education and industry demands during his tenure at the University of Waterloo. Motivated by this challenge, he founded 1Mentor with the ambitious goal of harnessing artificial intelligence to enable higher education institutions to keep pace with the rapid advancements in industry. Following QS' acquisition of 1Mentor, Esteban is now the Director of Product, Employability at QS Quacquarelli Symonds. In this capacity, he is dedicated to spearheading the development of pioneering technology that transforms the way higher education adapts to a rapidly changing world. |
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| Dr. Elka Walsh Passionate about student success and preparing learners to thrive in the digital future, Dr. Elka Walsh is the Americas Higher Education Transformation Lead for Microsoft where she helps universities across Canada and the United States achieve the art-of-the-possible for the future of higher education. Prior to joining Microsoft, Elka held leadership positions in colleges and polytechnics, government, and not-for-profits. She has also advised provincial and federal governments and international organizations on higher education and skilling strategy and policy. With an earned reputation for leading innovative transformation initiatives at scale that result in tangible outcomes, Dr. Walsh holds a PhD and Master’s degree from McMaster University and an Honours Bachelor of Arts from University of Toronto and has taught at Humber Polytechnic and McMaster University. Dr. Walsh believes strongly in the power of education to transform lives and the importance of inclusive learning to empower every learner to thrive. Dr. Walsh serves as a member of the California Governor’s AI Workforce Acceleration Advisory Committee, the Government of Alberta’s Minister’s Advisory Committee for Higher Education and Skills and has served on several Boards including the Calgary West Primary Care Network and the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta. |
Leaders Institute 2025 - Registration closes April 16th, 2025
Click here for information on the Leaders & Emerging Leaders in Cooperative and Work-Integrated Learning
Awards 2025 - Closed on March 31st, 2025
Click here for information on the 2025 Awards opportunities and nominations.
Click here for information on the current call for abstracts, deadlines, and full submission guides.
Below you will find a list of the presentations for the 2025 program that have been accepted thus far. Full Conference program to be released shortly.
- EL Community Development Through Project-Based WIL Initiatives (Canada)
- Enhancing Student International Mobility Through Work-Integrated Learning: Proposal for a Model Aligning Organizational Expectations with the Individual Aspirations of Generation Z (France)
- Fostering Aerospace Talent: LIFT UP Academic R&D Programs as a Model of Industry-Academia Collaboration (Turkiye)
- Rethinking the Traditional Tripartite Stakeholder Model in Work Integrated Learning (WIL): Insights from an Irish University (Ireland)
- Conquering Challenging Conversations: An AI-Driven, Work-Integrated Learning Platform for Proactive Communication Skills in Nursing Education (USA)
- Student Knowledge Exchange in the UK: Exploring How We Can Capture the Learning Outcomes for Academic Staff and Industry Collaborators to Enrich Student Learning (United Kingdom)
- TVET Lecturer Work-Integrated Learning: An Industry Perspective (South Africa)
- Levelling Up: The Dual Roles of WIL in Research Doctorates (Ireland)
- Multidiscipline WIL Opportunities as an Alternative to Discipline-Specific Offerings (New Zealand)
- Bridging the Skills Gap: Trends and Innovations in Work-Integrated Learning and Employability at Mandela University (South Africa)
- Professional Development Needs of the International Work-Integrated Learning Community (New Zealand)
- Invisible Trends: Exploring the Widespread Emergence of Hybrid Work Models and Strategies for Success (USA)
- Understanding the mechanism of theory-practice integration in a work integrated learning model of education - An empirical study (India)
- Integrating AI into Work-Integrated Learning: Business Case Studies as a Bridge Between Academia and Industry (USA)
- Teaching Beyond the Classroom Within Co-operative Education, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research Project (Canada)
- Cultivating Connections: Introducing First Year Science Students to Career Readiness Through a New Professional Development Planning Framework (Canada)
- Two Universities Working in Partnership (United Kingdom)
- How to Embed Scaffolded Work-Integrated Learning Across Each Level to 900 Psychology Students (United Kingdom)
- Guidelines of Growth Mindset and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Development to Enhance Cooperative Education Students' Self-Efficacy (Thailand)
- Navigating the Total Institution: The Rewards and Risks of Undergraduate Teaching Assistants in Jail (USA)
- Peer Misconduct Across School and Workplace Settings in China's Tertiary TVET (New Zealand)
- Fostering Career and World-Ready Graduates: The Impact of the Seneca-Amity-Microsoft Entrepreneurship (Canada)
- What Enables or Constrains the Transfer of Students from HE to the Workplace? (South Africa)
- Executives & Entrepreneurs in Residence: Bridging the WIL Gap for Students, Staff, and Faculty (Canada)
- Micro-Internships as a Pathway to Career Readiness: Fostering Early Industry Exposure and Career Exploration for Psychology Undergraduates (Canada)
- Building a National Eco-System for Quality WIL in Canada (Canada)
- From Vision to Reality: Establishing the First Work-Integrated Learning Model in Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan)
- Seneca Polytechnic and 1Mentor (QS): Transforming Career Readiness Through Innovation, Data & AI (Canada)
- Shaping Future Leaders: Expanding Work-Integrated Learning Opportunities through Industry Partnerships (Canada)
- Real-world problems require a multi-expertise approach: facilitating interdisciplinary WIL for the current cohort of higher education students (Australia)
- An ecosystem to Bridge the Gap and enhance readiness for WIL Placement: A Commercial Photography approach (South Africa)
- Bridging Generations: A Framework for Social Innovation through Work-Integrated Learning (Canada)
- Optimizing Role Design in Work-Integrated Learning: Balancing Student and Partner Outcomes (Canada)
- Addressing Vietnam’s Waste Crisis: The Role of Higher Education in Driving Environmental and Social Sustainability (Vietnam)
- A Scoping Review of Work Integrated Learning as an Approach to Successful Student Career Prospects (South Africa)
- Enhancing English Skills to Bridge the Gap Between Workplace Expectation and Satisfaction for Thai Gen Z Cooperative Education Students (Thailand)
- Bridging the Science-Business Gap in WIL Through Students' Master Theses: A Business Perspective in French-Speaking Belgium (Belgium)
- Re-imagining Human Capital Theory and student professional identity development in work-integrated learning with a conceptual framework (Canada)
- A New Integrated Leadership Framework for Bridging University-Business Collaboration and Preparing Gen Z/Alpha Students for Career Readiness in Southeast Asia (Thailand)
- Shifting mindsets: Pioneering a modern paradigm in integrating industry expertise with academia (South Africa)
- To Boldly Go Where No Co-op Has Gone Before! Copilot MS365: A Study to assess the use of generative AI for business process efficiencies (Canada)
- How Academic Libraries Support Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Projects (Canada)
- The LRVE Story: When Academic Integrity meets Employability (Australia)
- Exploring WIE effectiveness in developing student’s work readiness (South Africa)
- Impact of Organizational Culture and Work Stress in Sustaining Effective Work-Integrated Learning among Doctoral Students: The Moderating Role of Institutional Support (South Africa)
- Evaluating Work-Integrated Learning Success and Long-term Feasibility: A Pharmacy Co-op Program Case Study (Canada)
- Perspective on New Generation Work Models in Institutions and Transformation to Networked Organization Turkey Research—2024 (Türkiye)
- Instilling intrinsic motivation: effectively teaching SDGs in partnership with industry, community groups and student societies (Australia)
- Empowering Inclusion: Accessibility Design Competition (Vietnam)
- Innovative Pedagogical Approaches in Higher Education: A Case Study of LCCA's Flexible Learning Model for Diverse Student Demographics (United Kingdom)
- From classroom to changemakers: Leveraging university work-integrated learning to foster sustainability-driven graduates (Australia)
- From screens to support: redefining mentorship and belonging in online work integrated learning for GenZ/Alpha (Australia)
- Reconfiguration of Work Integrated Learning approaches- Covid 19 review of construction education sector. (South Africa)
- Bridging the gap for work based learners during the menopause (United Kingdom)
- Empowering Rural South African Students through Online Work Integrated Learning: Opportunities, Challenges, and Insights from Practera (South Africa)
- EXPECTATIONS OF GENERATION Z FROM THE WORKING LIFE: A LONGITUDE RESEARCH (Türkiye)
- Psychology Students’ Experience of an Embedded WIL Program (Canada)
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Enhancing Workforce Readiness through a Chaos Theory-Based Career Psychoeducation Program (Türkiye)
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An Investigation of Student Perceptions and Perceived Cognitive Load Regarding a Low-code Programming Educational Program Conducted within the Scope of Industry-Academia Collaboration (Türkiye)
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Impacts of Aligning Co-op Curriculum with Academic Best Practices (Canada)
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Creating Authentic Learning Experiences in a Co-op Preparatory Course Through Faculty Collaboration (Canada)
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Cyberbullying in Work-Integrated Learning: Implications for Digital Well-being and Professional Development of Gen Z/Alpha Students (Türkiye)
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From Office to Online: How Work Mode Shapes Graduate Capital Development in WIL (Canada)
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Supporting Future Leaders with WIL (Türkiye)
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"The Sandbox Model: Advancing Flexible, Scalable, and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Work-Integrated Learning" (Canada)
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Transforming Education: Federation University's Journey to Becoming Australia's First Co-operative University – Industry Focus (Australia)
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Transforming Education: The Federation University Co-operative Model (Australia)
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Involving the workplaces to improve the practice of work integrated learning in South African Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges. (South Africa)
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Analysing The Influence Of Non-Curricular Work Experience On Student-Teachers’ Soft Skills: A quantitative study (Spain)
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Integrating WIL – Industry based into Mathematics and Engineering Science teaching: A case study of the TVET preservice teachers at CPUT in the Western Cape. (South Africa)
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Driving quality and success in international work placements......the story so far (Ireland)
- Bridging Higher Education and Industry Through Makerspaces: A Work-Integrated Learning Model (Lebanon)
- Re-imagining preparation for WIL placement in the Tech Industry workplace: Perspectives of students and workplace supervisors. (Thailand)
- Dreaming & Scheming : Implementing an Employability Community of Practice across an Australian Institution. (Australia)
- Graduate Apprenticeships in Scotland (Scotland)
- Tolerance to uncertainty across generations in working life (Türkiye)
- Entrepreneurship in WIL or Entrepreneurial WIL? What is the difference? (New Zealand)
- Authentic Assessment for Cooperative Education: Analysis of learning gains data from the trilogy of Students, Faculty, and Employers (Ireland)
- The WACE Global Challenge Journey – From Vision to Impact (Australia)
- Predicting overall pass rate versus industry placement at the university of Technology using neural network. (South Africa)
Accepted Interactive Workshops:
- Industry – Academy Partnerships – New Models of WIL Collaboration (Canada)
- AiWIL – Snapshots of our AI journey to a New Frontier (Through the Quality AAA WIL Framework) (Canada)
- Toolkit for Co-designing Work-Integrated Learning at the PhD Level (Ireland)
- Building the Work-Integrated Learning Community Engagement through Training and Development (Ireland)
- Reimagining Student Engagement in Higher Education for the Post-Pandemic Era (Canada)
- Exploring AI in Work-Integrated Learning (Australia)
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Café Connections: A workshop for Brewing Success in Workplace Mentorship (United Kingdom)
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From Isolation to Community – a Survivor's Guide (United Kingdom)
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Developing Quality International WIL (Canada)
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Industry Engagement - No Silver Bullet ... But a solid strategy can make a big difference (Canada)
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Global Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) in the Digital Era: Adapting to an Aging and Intergenerational Workforce (Thailand)
Accepted Round Table Discussions:
- Bridging AI Education and Real-World Applications: Insights from the Canada-Norway IWIL AI Project and the Way Forward (Norway)
- Reimagining Hybrid Co-op: A Collaborative Discussion on Bridging Gaps and Building Best Practices (USA)
- Unpacking WIL Realities: A Global Conversation (Canada)
- Enhancing Youth Employability: The Role of Work-Integrated Learning in UAE Higher Education (United Arab Emirates)
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Career Development, Sustainable Research, and Innovation: Bridging Pathways for Gen Z through the MCAA Lens (Türkiye)
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Beyond Bullet Points: Reframing Sustainable Career Development through Narrative CVs and Peer Mentorship for Gen Z (Türkiye)
- Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) - What Google, Netflix and Co-op at University of Toronto Scarborough have in common (Canada)
- Association between Academic Performance in a Co-operative Education Pharmacy Program and Practice Readiness Milestones (Canada)
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TVET and Workforce Development in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Thailand: Issues, Challenges, and the Way Forward (Thailand)
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Bridging the Gap: Strengthening University-Business Collaboration to Prepare South Africa’s Next Generation Workforce (South Africa)
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Enhancing Work Readiness through Pre-Work Integrated Learning: A Comparative Study of Best Practices and Challenges for University of Technology Students in South Africa" (South Africa)
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Removing Financial Barriers to Work-Integrated Learning through Open Educational Resources (Canada)
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Experiences with Work Integrated Learning in Research Institutions (Norway)
- Attributes of a work-ready software engineering WIL intern: Industry perspectives. (Namibia)