4 reasons to enroll in a co-op program

Posted on Wednesday, September 28th, 2016

woman-hand-smartphone-deskExperiential and situated learning is an important part of a college education. Co-op is a powerful way for students to gain this experience, which not only gives them exposure to industry while they study, but also become more employable upon graduation.

If you are an Algonquin College student, here’s what you need to know about co-op:

You Get Relevant Experience

Students going through a co-op work placement are able to gain valuable, on-the-job experience working in their respective field.

During co-op, students:

  • Develop new skills that you could help you with excel in the workplace.
  • Learn how to conduct oneself on the job. Professional behaviour is important in any business or workplace setting and is invaluable in your transition from school to the workforce
  • Decide whether you want to continue in the industry. A co-op placement allows you the flexibility to ensure that this is the industry you want to work in, without having to make a long-term commitment.
  • Find out which areas you need to improve on. You might find that there are some skills required in your industry you need to improve on that you did not learn in the classroom that are valuable to your professional development.

Make Industry Contacts

Have you ever heard the saying “It’s not about what you know. It’s who you know?” No where is the saying truer than when on the job hunt.

Networking is an important skill to have, and co-op opens allows the opportunity to interact with professionals in your industry that you otherwise might not have encountered.

Because of these networking opportunities, more job offers may present themselves to you down the road.

Get Paid

While some student internships and placements remain unpaid, all co-op work placements through Algonquin College’s co-op programs are paid positions. Many of the businesses that we partner with realize the value of hiring a co-op student, and pay the market rate for the position, rather than just minimum wage.

This money could go towards tuition or OSAP, car payments, rent, groceries, or just about anything else that one might need.

Get a leg up on competition

In today’s job market, you need every advantage you can get, and having co-op experience on your resume is an easy way to make you stand out from the crowd.

Employers value prior work experience over solely having academic credentials, and most companies will look more favourably upon candidates who have worked in the field before.

You become a much more rounded applicant once you have experience in your respective field, and will give you much more confidence when applying and interviewing for jobs.

Graduates these days need to have employable skills right from the first day, and doing a co-op placement is the perfect opportunity to learn these skills. If you need more convincing, read our interview with a former co-op student here.

If you think that you might be interested in learning more about the co-op program, please visit our website at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/, connect with us at coop@algonquincollege.com or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext.7623


Comments

Comments are closed.