The Co-op Advantage
The University of Â鶹´«Ã½’s Co-operative Education program offers students a Professional Development Program and the ability to work in their field long before they graduate. It allows students to go beyond the classroom and have a more holistic learning experience.
Professional Development:
Once accepted into the Co-op Program, you will gain access to our online material as well as on-campus workshops that occur prior to your work term. The training covers how to utilize your academics, work or volunteer experience, as well as, extracurriculars to highlight your abilities to employers. Some topics covered include:
- Competencies
- Resumes
- Cover Letters
- Networking
- Job Search
- Interviews
- Professional Conduct and more!
Events:
Over the course of the year, the Co-op Program hosts on-campus events to bring you and industry together. Each year events are adapted to suit the needs of the students. Typically, there are at least two networking evenings, speed mock interview practice and Career Fair. During the year, the Co-op Program also invites a wide range of industry professionals to provide guest speakers on campus. Last year, Co-op students had presentations from these organizations:
- Deloitte
- RBC
- IG Wealth Management
- Canada Life
View our Year in Review for an overview of the events hosted last year.
“At the Co-op networking event, I actually spoke to the person who ended up interviewing me at Richardson International, so that was obviously fantastic!” – Nicole Van Hove, 4 year ACS & BBA, Student Software Developer, Richardson International Ltd.
Test-drive your career:
As a Co-op student, you will gain access to our job listings and can apply for the positions that interest you. The Co-op Program does not apply for positions on your behalf. All Co-op positions are full-time paid positions that last 12-18 weeks. You will be expected to apply for positions both in Â鶹´«Ã½ and beyond - you are able to work outside of Manitoba.
Once you accept a position, you will experience what it will be like to work in your chosen field. You will get to discover what you like about the work that you are doing and possibly what you do not like. There are times that students realize that their stream is not what they envisioned or it may be that it is perfect. In other words, you get to ‘test-drive’ your career in your university experience. Knowing this early helps you choose the required courses in the upcoming terms, and formulate the career path that is right for you.
“It’s been an excellent placement; I’m getting hands-on experience related to my degree, performing accounting functions.” – Kevin Schaeffer, 4 year BBA, Accounting Operations, Indigenous Services Canada
Gain relevant skills:
Developing workplace skills is an important element of advancing your career long before graduation. With Co-op, you are able to gain important skills and build a robust resume. This helps edge out the competition and ensure a successful transition into the job market. In the case of professional designations, like CPA, the months of work experience can count towards your designation. For CPA specifically, up to 12 months of work experience from Co-op positions can count towards the needed 30 months of work experience for the designation.
"I am very thankful that I have the job I have and I absolutely love it!" says Terina Ingram, Civil Service Commission as an HR Consultant. "If it were not for the Co-op Program, I would not be where I am today!"