Hosts: Matching Projects With Students

1. When a proposal is received by U-Links, it is put through a review process to determine if it meets the criteria of our program.
2. Approved projects are promoted to students and faculty at the University. Organizations' names are not attached to the project at this stage of promotion to avoid confusion related to several students contacting an organization at one time. We also find that not attaching the host's name encourages students to consider the project and not the organization they are working for, as some organizations are better known to students than others.
3. When a student shows an active interest in a given project, they contact our office and we contact you.
4. You meet with the student to determine if they are a suitable match. This is a bit like a job interview; you will probably want to ask the student about their interest in the project and what experience they will bring to project. After this first meeting, you need to decide whether you are comfortable working with this student. Host organizations have the right to refuse a student if they feel that the student is not suitable. After the initial interview, please contact our office to let us know whether you have decided to go ahead with the student or not.
5. If the project is going ahead, the student must find a faculty member to supervise the project. We assist the student with this.
6. Once the three parties (host, student, professor) are in place, the student develops a draft Project Placement Agreement. The draft should be circulated to you, the professor, and our office for feedback. Please don't be afraid to be critical if the draft doesn't seem to meet the needs outlined in your proposal. If you are worried about how to say what you are thinking about the project placement agreement, please feel free to contact our office and we can help you work through your thoughts.
7. Once everyone agrees on the Project Placement Agreement, you will be asked to commit to the project by signing it. The student should also ask you to sign the work education agreement form at this time – this form is the Ministry of Education's commitment to purchase health and safety insurance for the student while they are doing the project for you.

The Project Placement Agreement becomes the student's course outline and a guideline for you the host organization. Your participation in an early meeting with the student(s) and faculty is ideal so that all parties involved begin work on the project with a clear understanding of each other's commitment. Your participation in developing the Project Placement Agreement also helps ensure that your needs will be met.