Congratulations to our WINCan colleague Victoria Abboud, for her Medal of Excellence teaching award from the University of Windsor's Faculty of Engineering. Vicki is leading development of the EMPOWR program to support Engineering graduate students in honing their non-technical ("durable") skills to enhance their impact in Canadian workplaces.
EMPOWR – Engineering Meets Professional Orientation & Workplace Readiness – is described in a University of Windsor news release:
A new resource for Master of Engineering students is designed to support them in building technical and non-technical skills that enhance employability in the Canadian workforce.
EMPOWR provides students with professional development sessions, industry-informed learning opportunities, and tools to plan their career pathways — all completely free. Participants will expand not only their knowledge but their professional prospects.
Under the leadership of professor Victoria Abboud and acting associate dean Darryl Danelon, the Engineering graduate students have engaged in collaboration with community partners including the Career Centre, WEtech Alliance, Connecting Windsor-Essex, Windsor Hackforge, and the Workplace Innovation Network for Canada.
Vicki is an exemplar of interdisciplinary career paths and personal interests. In addition to her work helping students in engineering and technology domains to interact effectively with “the rest of us”, she has been recognized for her creative non-fiction writing both regionally and nationally.