There’s a lot more to university that just gaining knowledge and skills in a given discipline. Students also have an opportunity to develop basic skills, often known as general or transferable skills. These skills, which are rarely listed on a syllabus, are just as essential for a successful career and effective citizenship. At uOttawa, we’ve decided to highlight these skills and to give them a name: uOCompetencies.
uOCompetencies framework launched at the Career Corner inauguration
The start of the academic year was the perfect opportunity to give this new competency framework the visibility it needs to cement its importance within University programs.
What’s more, the official launch of uOCompetencies on September 28 coincided with the official inauguration of the Career Corner, a new space dedicated to supporting students in their career development.
Importance of uOCompetencies
In keeping with other postsecondary institutions in Canada, the University of Ottawa has created its own framework of transferable skills, uOCompetencies, to better communicate its vision to current and future students and to help them understand how their experiences and learning equip them for the future.
Students can gain these clearly identified skills, which are defined from personal, academic, and professional perspectives, through faculty courses and academic programs, internships and practicums, or in any experiential learning situation.
“Throughout their time at university, whether in class or in experiential learning situations, students will be developing transferable skills, such as critical thinking, openness to the world, problem-solving skills and creativity, as well as self-reliance and resilience, which will prove essential throughout their lives.” Aline Germain-Rutherford, Vice-Provost, Academic affairs.
The competency framework includes 11 skills that were chosen after consulting with the University’s students, professors, and administrators. It aims to serve as a tool for integrating and evaluating academic and experiential skills in a range of projects that contribute to the quality of the student experience on campus.