OSPE - The Voice - May 2019 - 35

STUDENTS

How Engineering Students at ESSCO
Think OSPE can Benefit New Grads
INTERVIEWEES

LOGAN MCFADDEN

"E

ANNA SIMONE

ngineering is not static, it's always growing," says
Anna Simone, a third-year civil engineering student at
University of Windsor. Along with being a full-time student,
Anna is the Vice President external for her university, and a
representative for her program within the Engineering Student
Societies' Council of Ontario (ESSCO).
Whether it's through their annual conferences or special
events, ESSCO has made its mark by uniting Ontario's
engineering students since 1987. With almost 30,000 members,
ESSCO works to advocate for these students by providing
networking opportunities for growth and visibility.
While OSPE works to advocate for professional engineers,
ESSCO works to advocate for engineering students in Ontario.
Their comparative natures aid in their ability to work in
harmony. Logan McFadden, a third-year aerospace engineering
student at Carleton University said, "with the recent changes
to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), ESSCO
wanted to take a stance and get their voices heard in Queen's
Park. OSPE critically helped us in this."
This is not the only way OSPE continues to help engineering
students. Julian Faita, a mechanical engineering student at
Ryerson University is the Vice President of Communications
for ESSCO. In an interview, Faita explained the lack of
professional development courses offered at the undergraduate
level making the "transition from school to a work environment
very difficult." OSPE acknowledges this deficiency and offers
professional development courses that try to help all of its
members hone-in on their leadership and collaboration skills.
Alongside these courses, OSPE also offers classes around the
job search and how to write a winning resume (check out

JULIAN FAITA

OSPE's website for a full list).
Earlier this month, OSPE worked alongside ESSCO to create
a report for the perspectives of engineering students/graduates
on tuition, job prospects and co-op/internships. Research
for the report was conducted through the use of surveys,
with the purpose of using the results to inform ESSCO and
OSPE's advocacy efforts. Findings from this study solidified
the following:
1) Most students and graduates are not discouraged from
pursuing engineering degrees in Ontario, despite the
tuition for Ontario engineering programs are higher than
the national average.
2) Most students (95%) said that they expect to find a job in
engineering after graduating.
3) Co-ops/Internships are highly valued among the engineering
students, with an overwhelming majority choosing them.
The results from this study have helped form
recommendations for government and post-secondary
institutions.
ESSCO also hosts multiple conferences annually to help
Ontario engineering students meet like-minded people.
For example, ESSCO facilitates the Ontario Engineering
Competition (OEC), which is also in part sponsored by OSPE.
The competition was held at McMaster University in January
and is by far the best opportunity for new grads to showcase
their engineering talents with a myriad of companies from
engineering-related industries in attendance.
While OSPE works to advocate for professional engineers,
it also plays a strong part in helping engineering students
navigate outreach and professional development.
Summer 2019

THE VOICE

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OSPE - The Voice - May 2019

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