Co-operative education provides a great blending of study and work during your chosen program. In Canada, Co-op education makes you learn better, earn better and gain work exposure to stay ahead of the curve.
It enables you to get ample exposure to work opportunities and explore careers; thus, your chance of getting a good job offer will be high after graduation. You can earn while you learn to fund your study and living costs. All these are possible while pursuing education in Canada.
Canada has been a popular destination for many student co-op programs for years. The University of Waterloo is the best co-op university in Canada. Co-operative education in Canada is a unique way of pursuing studies with practical work experience. You may not find an alternative to this in any other country.
Most co-op programs are designed with a pattern, i.e., one semester/ term of study and then one semester/ term of work. Almost all post-secondary institutions in Canada offer a co-op option along with their academic programs. A co-op teacher will guide you to explore career options and earn while you learn. International students benefit a lot from alternative study and work options. This may reduce their financial and emotional stress while pursuing studies in an international destination like Canada. Students have the flexibility to plan their work terms according to their chosen program schedule. Thus, co-op education can be better understood as a joint venture between the student, university and employer.
As mentioned above, there are many benefits of Co-op education in Canada. The key points include:
There are various factors that lead to fixing your salary. It depends on your education, work experience and the province you choose to work. The average minimum wage for a student opting for work may be CAD14 per hour in Ontario and CAD 13.85 in British Columbia. Employers may send their performance feedback to the university, and if you perform well, it may enhance your chance of getting a favourable report. Again, students can opt for co-op programs after having an extensive search in universities in Canada. The requirements may vary with universities. For instance, the University of Waterloo offers 13 business co-operative programs such as business, IT, arts, etc. Waterloo students have four to six co-op work terms, depending on your chosen program.
The University of British Columbia offers world-class co-op education and great exposure to students with employers. UBC Students get up to 20 months of paid, valuable work experience. Also, firms get a chance to employ bright UBC students for short and long-term employment.
Always note that co-op programs do not give a job guarantee. However, working in a reputed firm may provide a chance to get access to the industry and meet future co-workers or employers. After gaining hands-on experience, the chances are more that you may be placed at a high profile than your peers.
So, it would be best to dive deeper to know about various co-op programs and related jobs. For instance, if you have chosen a co-op in your computer engineering program, you may get a chance to work with a software development company. Here, you get exposure to work culture and learn the requisite skills required for the job. You will be supervised by a manager who analyzes your performance and gives feedback to the university.
In Canada, you have many options to choose from co-op diplomas to master's programs. In order to get clarity on popular co-op programs in Canada, let's check out the top co-op universities and colleges in Canada.
University | Popular Programs | Fees in CAD |
University of Waterloo | Arts, Health, Maths, Engineering, Environment, Science | 745/year |
University of Victoria | Graduate Education, Public Administration, Law, Health Information Science, Humanities and Fine Arts, Exercise Science, Social Science, Physical and Health Education | 681.77- 1363.54 per work term |
University of Ottawa | Engineering, Arts, Law Management | Co-op mandatory program- 750
|
University of Alberta | Business, Engineering | - |
| College | Popular Programs | Fees in CAD |
| George Brown College | Business Administration ( Finance, Accounting, etc), Commerce, Sports,Human Resources, Digital Marketing, Marketing | 15000-14000/ 2-3 semesters |
| Humber College | Engineering (Computer/Programming/Systems), Mechanical/Technology, Electrical, Technology/Engineering, Sustainable Energy and Building Technology | - |
| Seneca College | Business, Accounting and Finance, Civil Engineering, Tourism, Aviation, Computer Systems, Business Administration, Environment | 20,000/year |
| Centennial College | Business, School of Transportation, Applied Degrees, School of Engineering Technology, Applied Sciences | 15,385 – 19,484/ 2 semesters |
Being an international student with a Canadian study permit, you are eligible to apply for a co-op work permit while pursuing studies in Canada. The following are the mandatory requirements:
A DLI (Designated Learning Institute) letter confirming the student requires job placement.
Work terms must cover a maximum of 50% or less of the entire course.
Must be enrolled in a program with a co-op work option.
Students must apply for the co-op program during the fall of their second year at the University of Ottawa. They need to attain course requirements and have a minimum CGPA of 8 even if they are chosen for the program. If they don't, then that may cause them to lose the admission slot. After getting selected, students may apply for job openings as posted on the university website.
Students can also search for suitable jobs on their own as well. So, you may select the workplace and get final approval from the institution's co-op department. Finally, they will decide if this job is suitable as per the co-op arrangements of your program or not.
Finding a co-op job and a job after graduation is a similar process. However, students must meet specific criteria to become eligible, and they include:
Moreover, International students must apply and get a co-op work permit. To apply, they must have a valid study permit, the co-op job accounts for 50 % or less of the study program, and an appointment is needed to complete their program.
It's an obvious question: Why choose co-op programs when internships are readily available for students? Let us discover the major differences between the two and how students benefit differently.
| Criteria | Internships | Co-op |
| Time period | Short period of 2 - 3 months. | Comparatively long term of 8 to 12 months. |
| Wage | Paid/ Unpaid work depends upon the employer | Paid work: usually calculated based on the number of hours worked |
| Eligibility | Anyone is eligible | Only students enrolled in co-op programs |
| Learning Experience | Gain work experience alone. | Students earn practical experience crucial in their field and can apply classroom theory to real-life work settings. |
Students need to remember that they need to pay an additional amount for opting for co-op education apart from their chosen program. However, in the end, students may benefit from it by gaining industry contacts, building networks with industry experts, and having higher employability chances.
Feel free to contact us for your queries.
Read To Know: GUIDELINES TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN CANADA
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