By: Namish Modi
Friday, March 13, 2020 was a typical day at the William M. Tatham Centre at the University of Waterloo.
Hundreds of students, staff and employers attended co-op interviews, career advice and workshops.
Three days later, everything changed drastically.
The world’s largest co-operative education program – with over 23,000 co-op students and over 7,100 employers – shifted to an entirely remote model.
During the week of March 16, 1,397 interviews for 297 co-op roles moved remote, and in-person services became offered digitally.
Students adapted to the new environment, and we filled 92 per cent of co-op roles that week.
“A big difference for us students were when interviews moved online,” says Mariko Shimoda, a Mechanical Engineering student, and Engineering Society vice-president of Student Life. “The concerns were things like poor internet connection and living at home, where there is not a quiet place to take a call. Employers (could) get a glimpse into your personal living situation – which can imply socio-economic status and losing a more human connection.
“I think students appreciate the quick moves co-op has made. It’s not an easy time for anyone, but I think the more consistency and normalcy we are able to maintain, the better.”
Perseverance, dedication, and drive helped Waterloo co-op students continue their academics, during a disruptive 2020. From remote work terms and video interviews to upscaling their digital skills, Waterloo’s students pushed the limits and exceeded expectations.
Over the last year, over 19,000 students have displayed immense resilience in landing co-op terms in a challenging time of our lives.
We innovated in real-time to modify our hiring process and work terms, prioritizing student safety and experience by altering our placement requirements and allowing students to either complete their winter 2020 work terms early, or when possible, to complete their placements remotely.
How are our students faring amid remote work?
Katie Ivancic, a third-year Recreation and Leisure student, saw her work term with the Toronto Maple Leafs transition to remote in March 2020. Ivancic also excelled during a remote term at Scotiabank in fall 2020.
“Connect with your mentor/supervisor frequently, if not every day,” Ivancic says, providing tips to students working virtually.
Because of the positive impression Ivancic made at Scotiabank, she secured three future work terms with the organization.
Simon Raiff, a Global Business and Digital Arts student, worked with CEE and took charge in creating high-quality videos highlighting winners of the first-ever Employer Impact Awards.
Raiff had a vision for the videos – and produced them from start to finish – all virtually. His work included conducting video interviews, writing scripts, and obtaining b-roll.
“It was fully my project, and I thought that was really cool, that they trusted me with that,” says Raiff.
Through his work term, Raiff exhibited strong innovation skills, a key component of CEE’s newly launched Future Ready Talent Framework (FRTF). The FRTF and CEE Strategic Plan prepare student employers and staff for a complex future workforce, something we all caught a glimpse of in 2020.
Simon Raiff
Global Business and Digital Arts Student
Our students adjusted, showed tremendous resilience
From spring 2020 to winter 2021, the university created over 700 roles for online learning assistants to help deliver new online academic courses.
According to a study conducted by Waterloo’s newly launched Work-Learn Institute (WxL), socialization, productivity and meaningful work are three factors important to students working from home during the pandemic. The research, led by WxL Director, Judene Pretti, includes interviews from 50 Waterloo co-op students and indicates that 87 per cent of students reported positive transitions to work from home.
Students adapted to their new surroundings and note flexibility in hours and independence as positives of working from home. They say challenges included technical difficulties and missing out on collaborative opportunities that exist in a physical workplace.
“The future of work is impossible to predict,” says McRae. “Jobs and career paths as we understand them today are going to fundamentally change in ways that we have not imagined or created yet. What we can say with absolute certainty, is that an adaptable, resilient workforce is key to economic recovery.”
Our students continue to improve their skills by participating in new digital skills fundamentals courses. The courses, which include digital marketing, cyber security, and web marketing, are aimed at helping students develop their digital skills in a time when they are key. Students can earn a micro-credential by completing the courses.
Waterloo students continue to show immense dedication to personal development. As of February 26, 2021, 718 co-op students (867 students total) have enrolled in the digital skills fundamentals courses.
In October 2020, 797 Waterloo students attended the first virtual P4E Career Fair. In February 2021, 649 students attended the virtual P4E Job Fair.
Co-op Student Survey
Based on feedback received from the co-op student experience survey, CEE kicked off new initiatives, including a more enhanced employment metrics page, showing detailed term-by-term employment statistics.
CEE and Waterloo’s faculties came together to support students during these unprecedented times by reviewing co-op program requirements and implementing flexible pathways.
Waterloo students also took advantage of the newly-introduced flexible pathways, which allow for eight-week work terms and reduced work term requirements, among other flexibilities, as a result of COVID-19.
Thanks to a generous $1 million gift from parents of Waterloo alumni, We introduced new wellness counsellors in October 2020 based on feedback from the student survey. These counsellors understand the co-op program at Waterloo and can help resolve challenging wellness-related situations for students. The counsellors continue to provide 1:1 mental health support for students on recruiting terms, work terms and those preparing for work terms.
In spring 2020, at the height of COVID-19 and immense change, 5,650 students found employment. In fall 2020, 5,960 students were employed. In winter 2021, as of March 1, 8,132 co-op students are employed. For the upcoming spring term, 3,297 students have landed roles. Recruiting for spring continues until July 2021.
