How do you like co-op?

Co-op students at the University of Waterloo graduate with less debt and report being more satisfied with their co-op experiences than students surveyed at other universities in Ontario, according to a report.

Nemica Thavarajah, University of Waterloo Applied Health Sciences-Health Studies student and co-op student of the year 2012.

The Waterloo graduates surveyed also reported that their co-op work terms helped them both academically and professionally.  The report, released by Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, was compiled from survey data of graduating students at 14 colleges and universities in Ontario.

Scaling up

Co-op’s impact on the lives of our students and graduates is enormous.  The learning experience is powerful and long-lasting,” says Peggy Jarvie, executive director of Co-operative Education and Career Action (CECA) at the University of Waterloo. “Our scale offers students an unsurpassed breadth of opportunity; it is extremely gratifying to see that students’ satisfaction with their experience reflects that leadership position.”

Waterloo’s co-op program is the largest of its kind in the world. Faculty members at Ontario universities were also surveyed and Waterloo professors reported having fewer challenges when implementing work-integrated learning opportunities for students. 

As pioneers in co-operative education, Waterloo was one of the first to recognize the educational value of connecting students and industry.

While early work terms were focused mainly in southern Ontario, the program has expanded over time to include diverse opportunities in almost 100 countries. Co-op students are also choosing to work in a range of settings now – everything from multinationals to dynamic startups.

Start-ups

“The variety is extraordinary,” says Jarvie. “Students are working for large companies, small companies, huge multinationals and startups. Lots of startups are now building co-op students into their business plans.”

Jarvie points out that there is stiff competition among universities to build relationships among employers for co-op jobs. “Everybody competes with us on talent,” she says. “We rely on great academic programs, bright and hard-working students and a strong team in CECA to keep us in the forefront.”

A major technology player, Google Canada’s engineering director, has said the talent coming out of Waterloo is among the best in the world: “We are an enormous supporter of the University of Waterloo and its co-op program,” said Steven Woods. “. . . I personally attribute much of the success of [their] graduates to the strength of their co-op program and the great mix of very strong academic emphasis, great training, great faculty with the opportunity students get to spend time in industry at many companies, whether in California or Seattle or in Canada.”

The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario is an agency created to advise the Ontario government on issues that affect postsecondary education. The report released this week was requested and partially funded by Waterloo’s Centre for the Advancement of Co-operative Education (WATCACE.)