Award-winning employers benefit from innovative Waterloo co-op students

On October 9, 2024, during the fifth annual awards ceremony, Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) recognized co-op employers as award recipients and honourable mentions in six categories. Each of the winning employers shared insights into how their organizations impact student experiences while benefiting from Waterloo’s co-op student talent.

Throughout 2023, the Employer Impact Award recipients utilized student talent to help research cures for diseases, plan for a sustainable future, advance AI research, and more.

Learn more about the 2023 Employer Impact Award winners below.

Impact in Innovation: ATS Corporation

ATS Corporation is an industry-leading automation solutions provider for multinational customers.
Students work on innovative projects, including assembly line automation and design to help customers solve real-world challenges.
The company recommends trusting in the skills students learn in the classroom and allowing students to apply them in the workplace.

“Bringing energy and new ideas helps customers gain confidence that we're an innovative and exploratory company. In some cases, students are actively engaging customers themselves and impacting their perception of who ATS is. That's how much faith we put into our co-op students.” — Michael Healy (BASc '00), vice-president of technology and products, ATS Corporation

Honourable mention: Maplesoft

Impact in Sustainability: Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP)

OTPP administers responsible and environmentally friendly investing for teachers’ pensions and portfolios.
Co-op students conduct due diligence and monitor the environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk of investments.
By offering workshops and training opportunities OTPP helps students develop their soft skills and realize how their work can contribute to society.

“Waterloo co-op students possess great communication skills, they're very adaptive and flexible, and they come with a purpose. It makes them very good in contributing and just really get off the ground very quickly.” — Ringo Ng (BASc), principal, sustainable investing, OTPP

Honourable mention: RDH Building Inc.

Impact in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Canadian Tire Corporation

Canadian Tire Corporation is a national brand and group of companies including financial services and retail stores across Canada.
Co-op students work in a variety of roles in both its corporate and retail offices in operational, compliance and digital roles. The company welcomes student participation in employee resource groups, empowering communities with shared cultures, identities and experiences.
Canadian Tire recommends encouraging students to get involved in equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives to help create a more inclusive work environment.

“Co-op students bring innovative ideas. There's something refreshing about having that unfiltered and just exuberant, empowered-thinking people.” — Letecia Rose, vice-president of diversity, inclusion and belonging, Canadian Tire

Honourable mention: The Ripple Effect Education (Conrad Grebel)

Impact in International Experience: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

The largest University in Norway, NTNU partners with the University of Waterloo to advance international work-integrated learning in AI.
The university facilitates opportunities with industry partners where co-op students work on cutting-edge AI technology and research.
NTNU coordinates events to help students connect to the social and cultural importance of their work term abroad.

"You want students to feel welcomed and integrated. So far, they've all been very good at adapting. We’re trying to help them as much as we can, but I think they've also been successful at initiating social contacts.” — Özlem Özgöbek, project manager for IWIL AI and associate professor, computer science, NTNU

Honourable mention: Grand River Hospital

Impact on Student Experience: Region of Waterloo Waste Management Division

The Region of Waterloo Waste Management Division (The Region) provides curbside collection, processing, diversion and disposal of waste to more than 165,000 properties.
Waterloo co-op students work on environmental monitoring and community outreach and are treated as part of the team.
The Region recommends providing professional growth opportunities for students to work on meaningful projects to spark passion and dedication.

“We welcome students in like they're part of our team. We treat them as equals. They have valuable information that they bring to the table.” — Ann Marie Weber (Bsc '15), supervisor, contracts and services, the Region of Waterloo Waste Management Division

Honourable mention: Dayforce Inc.

Impact in Research: University Health Network (UHN) – Notta Lab

Part of Canada’s top hospital, UHN’s Notta Lab at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PM) research pancreatic cancer. The University and PM recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for collaborative opportunities in cancer research.
The team at the lab entrusts Waterloo co-op students with analyzing and managing a repository for cancer cells.
The Notta Lab team recommends immersing co-op students in meaningful work to help expand new ideas and advance research and discovery.

“Waterloo co-op students are part of the bigger team and with them, we are trying to foster big discoveries. Without research, there are no new treatments, and no innovation, which drives discovery.” Dr. Faiyaz Notta, senior scientist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN

Honourable mention: Deep Breathe Inc.

“We are grateful to our Employer Impact Award recipients for providing our students with opportunities to work on real-world challenges,” says Norah McRae, associate provost of CEE. “Our employers benefit from our students’ skills while helping those students prepare for the future of work.”

CEE employers provide work-integrated learning opportunities for more than 26,000 co-op students. More than 8,000 employers from 75 countries work with Waterloo to access student talent from the world’s largest co-op talent pool.

Meet the 2023 CEE Employer Impact Award recipients. Learn more about the Employer Impact Awards.