Choosing to do an Entrepreneurial Work Term
Students wishing to pursue their own business venture can complete an Entrepreneurial Work Term (EWT) as part of their co-op degree.
Student Eligibility
Commerce Co-op students can complete an EWT during work term two (COMM 3801) or work term three (COMM 3802) and may apply to complete an EWT for more than one work term. Enrolling in more than one EWT can help further develop your business model and operation. Separate EWT applications are required for each EWT experience. Applications to complete an EWT for work term one (COMM 2801) will not be considered.
It is strongly encouraged for students applying for an EWT to have completed at least one of the following courses:
- COMM 3307.03: New Venture Creation
- COMM 3308.03: Managing the Family Enterprise or MGMT 3902.03: Starting Lean
- COMM 4301-03: Managing the Venturing Process
- COMM 4523.03: Project Management
Management Internship and Corporate Residency MBA students have one opportunity to complete an EWT according to when their internship/corporate residency is scheduled.
Venture Eligibility
Students may choose to pursue a business they already own/operate or begin a new business venture. Buying into an established business or utilizing a franchise model are not eligible for consideration for an EWT.
Student Evaluation
Every student approved to participate in an EWT will be assigned a business coach to support the student throughout their work term. EWT students will participate in a check-in process a minimum of every two weeks (or weekly in certain instances) with their coach and complete an end of term academic debriefing on the EWT experience with a faculty member. In addition, a mid-term evaluation will be conducted by Management Career Services with the EWT student and their coach, as per all co-op and internship experiences.
All students will also complete the standard work term academic requirements for their program. For Commerce Co-op and Management Internship students this is the Work Term Report and for CR MBA students it is the Corporate Residency Values and Impact Report.
Application Process
To participate in an EWT, students must complete two steps by the specified deadlines.
Step One:
Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to ewt@dal.ca before the deadline. Download the EOI form here. Keep an eye on the MCS website, e-newsletter, and social media channels for the next EOI deadline in January, May, and September.
A work integrated learning practitioner from Management Career Services will review the EOI. Students whose EOIs are approved are provided documentation to complete the second step, a Business Model Canvas, outlined below.
All students who submit a completed EOI will be informed of a decision within five business days. Submitting an EOI that does not provide an appropriate response to the five areas outlined will result in the EWT application being delayed or potentially rejected.
Step Two:
Complete the Business Model Canvas. This document is designed to describe your intentions to create or develop a venture. Students will be provided with a Business Model Canvas template to complete after step one is successfully met. Support resources are embedded within the Business Model Canvas template. The completion of the Business Model Canvas is expected to be an iterative process. Students seeking approval for an EWT must be prepared to submit updates to their Business Model Canvas by requested deadlines, based on the feedback provided by the assigned faculty member.
Application Process Completion
Upon the completion of the two steps outlined, Management Career Services, in conjunction with assigned EWT faculty member, will provide an approval or rejection of the student’s request for an EWT.
The process must be completed two months prior to the start of the work term period.
Winter Work Term: Apply in Fall Term (deadline in September, decisions finalized by end of November)
Summer Work Term: Apply in Winter Term (deadline in January, decisions finalized by end of March)
Fall Work Term: Apply in Summer Term (deadline in May, decisions finalized by end of July)
EWT decisions are finalized one month prior to the start of the work term period to allow students to focus on successfully completing their current academic term, to provide time for students that are not approved for an EWT to secure a traditional work term, and to ensure that an EWT coach is available to support the student through the EWT experience. For these reasons, incomplete EWT applications and new EWT applications cannot be considered beyond the decision dates outlined above.
Questions concerning the Entrepreneurial Work Term application process can be directed to ewt@dal.ca.
