Students feel supported and encouraged
ASCEND’s self-paced and interactive online delivery builds key job readiness skills for students
Students will be able to:
Showcase the value of their existing skills and experience to Canadian employers
Promote their new professional personal brand and LinkedIn profile
Benefit from their own community of support and professional network
Perform effective job search and interviews
Navigate their chosen industry’s onboarding, communication and organizational cultures
“ASCEND does a fantastic job in supporting Northeastern’s international students with the crucial soft skills they need to succeed in the workplace. Students can better understand what Canadian workplace culture is like, how to excel in their interviews, on the job, and as they advance in their careers after graduation.”
– Bethany Edmunds, Teaching Professor, Director of Computing Programs, Northeastern University – Vancouver Campus
Flexible blended-learning
You can offer ASCEND’s online content as a self-contained and self-paced program for your students to access in addition to their existing course content. For a more complete integration, ASCEND’s online program can be combined with a structured workshop series that can be offered in-person or online.
Do you have questions? Look no further!
How can we start our students on ASCEND?
Click here for steps to join ASCEND.
Can non-eligible participants access ASCEND?
Participants that do not meet the eligibility requirements are able to access ASCEND, for a fee. Examples of noneligible participants who access ASCEND on a fee-for-service basis include Temporary Foreign Workers, Canadian Citizens, International students, etc. Please contact us for more details on program costs for noneligible participants.
Which of our students would benefit from ASCEND?
ASCEND is directly relevant to international students looking for insight into what Canadian employers expect. However, any student can benefit from the program’s engaging online delivery and employer insights.
What kind of administration does ASCEND require?
ASCEND is a plug-and-play solution that requires no direct oversight from educational institutions. We handle the administration on your behalf for your students to complete within the time provided. It is accessible to students online from any internet-connected device.
How many online modules does ASCEND have, and how long does it take to complete?
The full ASCEND program includes introductory survey, Getting Started and Benchmark Assessment sections that require about 1 hour to complete, followed by 7 online modules, each of which takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete. All online modules are completely self-paced. Learners typically spend 15-20 hours completing all online modules and assignments. It is recommended that participants complete 1 online module per week to stay on track.
What content do ASCEND’s optional workshops cover?
The 6 ASCEND optional workshops provide participants with an opportunity to apply the topics learned online in an experiential, supportive environment with a group of peers. The workshops are all activity based and require no lectures or slides. The workshops can be delivered using an online video tool (like Zoom), or in-person. Each workshop runs for about 2.5 hours in total.
How big or small should an ASCEND cohort be?
ASCEND is ideally run on a cohort basis. There is a social aspect to the online program where interested participants have an opportunity to share online their employment backgrounds and experiences. The more participants in a cohort the merrier! We have run cohorts as small as 2 participants and as large as 150 participants. Please let us know your estimated number of participants beforehand so we can accommodate you.
To optimize the benefits of the optional ASCEND workshops for your participants, when ASCEND workshops are offered, we recommend cohorts of at least 4 participants or more.