Career Corner: Co-op's unique to Canada

March 22 to 28 is Co-operative Education Week in Canada - a good time to celebrate the success of the co-operative model of education and to recognize the contribution of students and employers to the success of college education across Canada.

As a model of education, co-op is unique to Canada. Introduced by the University of Waterloo in the 1950s, the principles of co-operative education created a whole new way of structuring academic learning integrated with on-the-job experience to prepare students for successful careers after graduation.

The co-op system was gradually adopted and adapted by other institutions and, in the 1970's, became an important component of Ontario's new community college system. But, even today, co-op is not well known outside of Canada. Other countries sometimes have work placements or internships as part of their college programs, but true co-op is a uniquely Canadian experience.

Fanshawe was one of the first colleges to adopt the co-op model and still has one of Canada's largest college co-operative education programs. There are now 37 Fanshawe programs with a co-op component.

More than just a job, co-op is actually part of the continuum of learning in a college program and students who successfully complete all of the requirements receive co-op endorsed diplomas. Statistics show that students who graduate with a Co-op diploma are employed more quickly and at higher starting salaries than non-co-op grads. It's not unusual for a Fanshawe graduate to be hired permanently by a former co-op employer, and hundreds of Fanshawe alumni are now themselves co-op employers.

Unlike summer jobs, internships, work placements, or high school co-op, college co-op jobs are always related to a student's academic program. In this way, students get to apply the skills they learn at college in real-life work environments. Co-op work semesters are usually the same length as academic semesters and students are paid while they are learning on-the-job. So co-op is a serious commitment of time and effort for students and employers.

The success of Fanshawe's co-op program depends entirely on the hundreds of employers who hire Fanshawe co-op students every year. Twenty-five of the most exemplary co-op employers have been selected by the College to be honoured with special awards to be presented by President Howard Rundle at an awards ceremony on March 25. Most of the award winning employers are local but some come from as far away as Ottawa and Alberta. Without the participation of business and industry there could be no co-operative Education. Fanshawe hopes to keep those partnerships strong to create future employment opportunities for students and graduates.