 UVic’s co-op program celebrates three decades of workplace learning
by Joy Poliquin
Navigating the wild world of permanent employment is a tough order for any university graduate, although having the right job skills and relevant work experience can do wonders.
Fortunately, the UVic co-operative education program exists to bridge this gap. The program has been connecting students with work terms in their chosen fields for the past 30 years, and in doing so has helped to prepare more than 25,000 students for life after graduation. This year, the program celebrates its 30th anniversary.
When the university’s co-op program first opened its doors in 1975-76 it was largely viewed as an educational experiment. At the time, co-op education was a relatively new concept; the University of Waterloo was the only other Canadian university to have initiated a program.
This didn’t deter UVic faculty members from the departments of chemistry and physics, who proposed the development of a UVic co-op program to the university senate. With the support of then-president Howard Petch, UVic pioneered the first co-op education program in Western Canada in 1976.
The program started small and has grown exponentially over the last three decades. Fifty-eight students from the departments of chemistry and physics secured the first work term placements in 1977. In 2005-06 more than 2,700 students from over 40 program areas completed a co-op work term.
Today the program is the third largest in Canada. There are more than 70 co-op staff connecting students with workplace opportunities and students work for employers locally, across B.C. and Canada, and internationally.
“The co-op education program has always been one of the pillars of this institution,” says UVic President David Turpin. “We recognize that experiential learning is increasingly important in our modern world and continue to provide our students with the opportunity to develop hands-on experience in the workplace. The program’s success on the part of both students and employers is a reflection of its tremendous value.”
“This is a vital and exciting time for us,” says Dr. Elizabeth Grove-White, the co-op program’s executive director for the past six years. “We’re constantly evolving to best equip students with relevant job skills and strategies and we continue to develop new ways to engage students in the program. Our students are looking toward their futures after university and realize that co-op can make a real difference.”
Current UVic students aren’t the only ones to recognize the benefits of an education complemented by relevant work terms. Bruno Rocca, director of student recruitment, says the UVic co-op program is a key draw for the many prospective students he and his team meet on the road. The program is also viewed as a priority by the university’s executive council.
Not only does the program allow students to apply their academic skills in a real workplace, but it also provides an opportunity for community outreach. Through liaison with co-op’s employer communities, the university receives feedback on the relevance and quality of its academic programs, as well as information on current research in the business, industrial, government and not-for-profit sectors.
For more information on the co-op program or to read some of the program’s current success stories, visit mycoop.coop.uvic.ca.
Co-op FastFacts
- This year marks the co-op program’s 50,000th work term placement
- One in five full-time UVic students are enrolled in a
co-op program
- UVic co-op students are hired by employers from more than 40 countries
- In 2005-06, 48.6 per cent of co-op placements were made in the Greater Victoria area; 17.5 per cent in the Lower Mainland; 7.2 per cent elsewhere in B.C; 15.3 per cent in the rest of Canada; and 11.3 per cent internationally.
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