Employer FAQs

International students bring new and innovative ideas to the workplace. Most government departments, and virtually all private sector employers have hired International students. International students hold a valid co-op work permit and are legally eligible to work in Canada in a co-op capacity for the duration of their work term.  For co-op positions with security screening requirements, international co-op student processing may take longer, so please plan accordingly and contact coop@algonquincollege.com if you have any questions.

To help you pay your Algonquin College co-op student, there are several provincial and federal funding opportunities to help offset some of your salary costs.

The Algonquin College Co-op Department can help you navigate how to access each of these funding opportunities. Please contact us at coop@algonquincollege.com and we will guide you through the process.

The Ontario Co-operative Education Tax Credit (CETC) is a refundable tax credit for businesses that hire students enrolled in a recognized post-secondary co-operative education program. The tax credit is based on salaries and wages paid to a student in a co-operative education work placement. Corporations can claim 25 per cent of eligible expenditures (30 per cent for small businesses). The maximum credit for each work placement is $3,000. Please click here for additional information.

Please review our employer terms of service for a complete list of employer responsibilities throughout the coop process.

At this time Algonquin College is unable to provide information on the demographic representation of our learners. However, we are happy to collaborate with employers on ways to further inclusion in the workplace and in our co-op programs.

The Co-op Department, and Algonquin College, values the dignity and uniqueness of the individual and equity and diversity in our community. We are happy to collaborate with employers on ways to further inclusion in the workplace. We invite employers to share their commitments to diversity and inclusion, as well as any equity targeted vacancies, with our learners on job postings.

Algonquin College has partnered with David C Onley to compile a guidebook for employers on hiring and working with professionals with disabilities.

We encourage you to set up one meeting link, with a waiting room to admit the students individually at their interview time. Here are the instructions on setting up a meeting with a waiting room:

• Zoom
• Teams

The Algonquin College Cooperative Education Department is available to support you in the entire co-op process, including the interviewing,  hiring and onboarding steps to ensure you have an excellent experience.  For a detailed overview of our recruitment process please visit our recruitment page.

The Co-op Departments accepts job postings up to 8 month in advance of the student’s work term allowing employers to work through the time needed to complete a security screening. We urge all employers who require a security screening in order for a student to pursue an opportunity to consider posting jobs up to 8 months in advance. 

To review Employer Best Practices on Security Clearances please see view here.

Co-op work terms are generally 4 months in duration.  Some programs offer multiple co-op work terms.  Review your Co-op Sequence on HireAC to confirm your work-study pattern.

Our students, similar to other job candidates often reach out directly to employers to follow up on their interview performance. Our office kindly requests that any feedback shared with the student is kept general and does not disclose student ranking, interview numbers, or other students’ performances/rankings.  This request is being made to keep the integrity of the Rank and Offer process fair and equitable for students and employers alike.

Crafting a compelling job description is essential to helping you attract the most qualified candidates for your job. In general, the more information you can provide to help us understand your job and organization, the more effective we can be at aligning student capabilities with your needs.

Follow these helpful tips to help attract top students for your organization.

Explain the position in detail

Explain how the  job is important within the organization so students can understand how their contribution will make a difference.

List the main job responsibilities of the job

Outline in the job description the responsibilities the students will keep.  Try to keep the list brief yet informative.

Avoid workplace jargon

Let the students know what they will gain from their experience

Let the students know about the skills, the professional connections or how the work experience will help advance their knowledge.  If possible try to include the salary for the position.

Define essential skills

List important skills you are looking for in a separate category.  List all technical and soft skills required.

Include the location of the job opportunity

Provide a brief Description of Office Culture

Still have questions?  Contact Us.

Algonquin College is pleased to offer coop from

• 11 Bachelor Degrees programs, the Horticulture program
• 33 programs that are either Ontario College Diploma programs, Ontario College Advance Diploma programs, and Graduate Certificate programs

Click here to view the programs that offer Co-op.

Co-op is about experience!  Wages are set by the employer.  The average salary for co-op positions ranges from minimum wage to $18+ an hour. Please visit our Co-op Student Salary Guidelines page for more information.

The Co-op work terms occur during one of the three semesters:

• Winter: January – April
• Spring/Summer: May – August
• Fall: September – December

*We accept postings for all semesters year-round

Interviews can be conducted on-site at the College in our dedicated interview rooms, on-site at the Employer office location, or virtually either by phone or web.  Our students are set up to conduct web interviews with either Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

Are you new to scheduling web interviews?  View a user guide here

We are in touch with all of our students and their supervisors when the students are in the workplace. At times this involves an on-site visit with the student and their manager. Any such meetings are at the convenience of the manager and are arranged in advance. As well, students complete assessments as part of their co-op curriculum while on their work-terms that may require collaboration between the employer, student, and/or the Co-op Department.