OVPS staff member receives the Dr. Graham Branton Research Award 

How has work-integrated learning (WIL) changed over time, what are the benefits and challenges for stakeholders and participants, and how will it continue to evolve?

These are just some of the questions Dr. Roger Pizarro Milian, Assistant Director, Student Data & Advanced Analytics in the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students considers in his research, and these explorations were recently recognized by Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada: Roger received CEWIL’s prestigious Dr. Graham Branton Research Award. 

Roger is distinguished for helping to shape national conversations through his research that is focused on the intersections of work-integrated learning, labour-market outcomes, and equity in Canada. His work culminated in the most comprehensive report ever produced in Canada on WIL-centred literature: published in 2024 with co-author Dr. Julie Peters, Mapping the Terrain: A Synthesis of Recent Research and Future Directions, examines the many shifts in WIL, particularly with the pandemic as a catalyst for change. Additionally, Roger co-authored a paper in 2025 that analyzes gender disparities in participation in co-op placements (“Gender-based disparities in co-op participation: A view from Canada”) and has contributed to discourse on the extent to which WIL improves graduate labour market outcomes (“Still Worth it? Re-Examining the Economic Returns of WIL,” 2025).  
 

“I am humbled for the nomination and honoured to have this research recognized by CEWIL Canada, but I also share the award with my collaborators who contributed to this work,” says Roger, who is also an adjunct professor at the University of Guelph. 

“I hope this research continues to support practitioners and policymakers in improving WIL systems and ideally lays the groundwork for more effective skills development strategies.”

Roger received his award this past May at the CEWIL Canada Conference in Ottawa.