Internship and attachment programmes  

COL's "Sharing our Services" programme

 "Sharing our Services" is a self-serve, web-based database that aims to connect experienced educators, retired or otherwise, with distance education organisations/institutions that could benefit from their advice, training or professional input. The programme is designed to match those distance education professionals willing to offer their services at a nominal, or preferably no-fee, basis on short-term assignments with institutions/organisations in developing Commonwealth countries that would be interested in securing their services. Distance educators and requesting institutions register their information independently on the secure, online database and those that have registered may search the database for matches.  

For more details about Sharing our Services and access to the database, see the left sidebar link.

COL's Internship and Attachment Programme

COL contributes to professional development and training in open and distance learning (ODL) by providing individuals with experience outside their normal working environment – at COL, in another institution or through conference participation.

• Executive Secondment Programme: secondment/sabbatical opportunities for senior officials/academics in Commonwealth governments or institutions to live in Vancouver, Canada, for up to three months and work on specific projects related to COL's mandate.

• Attachments Programme: financial support for ODL professionals who are at an early stage or mid-point in their careers and would benefit from a short-term attachment to another institution.

• Study Tour Programmes: technical and partial financial support to an institution and/or a country that is seeking to develop their ODL systems to visit other Commonwealth ODL providers within the same region.

• Conference Organisation: support in the planning, organising, and running of conferences within the Commonwealth where the aims and objectives of the conference are consonant with COL's mission and values and the objectives of its current Three-Year Plan.

• Conference Attendance: resources to enable individuals to attend ODL conferences. This could include conference registration, lowest-fare travel and accommodation.

• Visiting ODL professionals to COL headquarters: use of COL's Information Resource Centre and other resources for international and local ODL academics and professionals.

Find out more in COL’s Policy on Attachments and Conference Support.