Co-operative Education & Career Services

Welcome !

Rocco FondacaroDirectorStudent & Faculty Relations

Today’s topics …

• co-op education @ UW

• co-op employment process

• your questions

1. Will I get a job?

2. How much will I earn at work?

3. When does the process begin?

4. How many jobs can I apply for?

5. When will I know I have a job?

Top 5 questions …

• work - integrated learning

• work place test drive

• competitive

• deadline driven

• opportunity to build your network

Just what is co-op at UW ?

Co-op is education and “employment”

…not placement!

Co-op Partners

Employers Students

UW Faculty& Staff

Common Study / Work Sequences

F W S F W S F W S F W S F W S

4-stream (Engineering Only)

8-stream /Sequence a (Mathematics)

Sequence b(Mathematics)

Sequence c(Mathematics)

Sequence d(Mathematics)

Yr. 2 (4-stream) 1A 1B X 2A W1 2B W2 3A W3 3B W4 4A W5 4B

Yr. 2 (8-stream) 1A 1B X 2A 2B W1 3A W2 3B W3 4A W4 4B

3AW22BW12A1B

4B

1A 4BW6W54AW43BW3

W3 3B W4 4A W5 W6

W6 4B

1A 1B X 2A W1 2B W2 3A

3A W3 3B W4 4A W5

4B

1A 1B W1 2A 2B W2

3A W4 3B W5 4A W6

W6 4A 4B

1A 1B W1 2A W2 2B W3

W3 2B W4 3A W5 3B

Year 5Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

1A W1 1B W2 2A

X = Off Term

What should students expect from us?

• advertise numerous and varied job opportunities

• develop and nurture employer relationships

• manage the employment process:- job postings, résumé packages, interviews & rankings

• support students and employers

• monitor quality and success of work terms

How do we meet those expectations?

• 45 Co-ordinators (geographic)

• 5 Co-op Advisors (faculty/program)

• 4 Assistant Directors (faculty/program)

• 4 Career Advisors

• 40+ admin., marketing & support staff

• 6 - 8 co-op students per term

What should students expect from their employers?

• a safe, inclusive and challenging work environment

• effective and accessible supervision

• competitive compensation

• fair and honest performance feedback

Who are our employer partners?

• ~ 3500 active employers each term

• ~ 75% in the private sector(e.g., business, industry, finance, manufacturing etc.)

• ~ 25% in the public sector(e.g., all levels of government, education, health care etc.)

• GTA, Ottawa, K/W & London

• ≤ 2 students / employer is the norm

What do we expect from our students?

• professional and enthusiastic participation in the employment process

• commitment to the employment process and its final result

• open and regular communication on any issues related to co-op

• attention to deadlines and regulations

Who are our students?~ 13,575 co-op students at UW*

~ 800 AHS ~ 825 Arts

~ 4950 Engineering ~ 875 Environment

~ 3230 Mathematics ~ 1180 Science

and in addition …

~ 900 Accounting~ 350 Architecture~ 85 Computing & Financial Management~ 90 Pharmacy~ 420 Software Engineering

* as of September 2008

Co-op Trivial Pursuit• How many active applications are co-op

students allowed in the employment process?

• How many students are available for employment each work term?

• How many résumé packages are sent to employers each term?

• How much money was earned by UW co-op students in 2007/08?

50

~ 3,800 - 4,800

~ 55,000

~ $136 million

Career Planning ResourcesEmployer Directories

Print & Computer ResourcesEducational Opportunities

Work/Study Abroad Information

WatPD Program• Collection of online professional

development courses for co-op students

• Objectives:- To enhance the overall work-integrated learning

experience of co-op students by providing engaging and relevant online courses to improve students' employability and workplace productivity

- To promote the integration of what is learned at work with what is learned at school through critical reflection

- To enable peer learning and foster a sense of community among co-op students

5 PD credits requiredRequired:

PD1 - Co-op Fundamentals PD2 - Critical Reflection & Report Writing

Choose 3 from (at least 1 must be non-technical):

PD3 - Communication PD4 - Teamwork PD5 - Project Management PD6 - Problem Solving PD7 - Conflict Resolution

Co-op Fundamentals - PD1

Co-op Survival Skills

Résumé Writing

Employer/Student Perspectives

Work Report Writing

Interview Skills & Techniques

Critical Incidents In The Workplace

Workplace Safety: Know The Issues

Job Search Strategies

2009/10 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Sep 7 - 11 Orientation Week (fall term only)

Week 1 (Sep 14) (Jan 4)

Return-to-Campus Interviews (for students returning to school following their work terms)

PD1 begins (first work term co-op student orientation program)

Week 2 (Sep 21) (Jan 11)

Résumé / Job Application Package Preparation

Daily job postings begin in JobMine Open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 11:59 p.m. the following day

PD1 continues on-line

Week 3 (Sep 28) (Jan 18)

Daily job postings begin in JobMine Open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 11:59 p.m. the following day

PD1 continues on-line

Week 4 (Oct 05) (Jan 25)

Employer Interviews begin

PD1 continues on-line

Week 5 + (Oct 12) (Feb 01)

Employer Interviews continue

PD1 continues on-line

~ Week 7 (Oct 26) (Feb 15)

1st Employment Match

PD1 continues on-line

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Jan - Apr May - Aug Sep - Dec

Final % Employment(all programs)

$475$480

$487

$524

$541

$564

$425

$450

$475

$500

$525

$550

$575

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Average 1st Work Term Salary($ per week)

1 simple strategy for success

Flexibility

Flexibility

Flexibility!

Parents …

Please embrace the adventure too

Possible speed bumps

… applications

… interviews

… employment match

Applications

… not nearly enough (or none at all!!!)

… limited geographically

… wrong level or discipline

Interviews

… too many to handle

… inappropriate conduct

… failure to attend

Employment match

… cold feet

… unauthorized contact

… backing out of your commitment

Parents…reinforce being

• open and honest • professional• responsible• committed

Visit us on-line

Co-operative Educationwww.cecs.uwaterloo.ca

(includes Co-op Student Reference Manual)

Career Serviceswww.careerservices.uwaterloo.ca

(services are available to all students as well as alumni)

It’s time for questions!

What would I like to leave you with today?

… you get out what you put in

… co-op’s a thread

… enjoy your summer!

Safe trip home …

see you in September!