Algonquin Co-op Work-terms Reach Record Levels

Posted on Monday, March 1st, 2021

Cooperative Education work-terms at Algonquin College have surged to record levels and are ranking among the best in Canada, despite challenges posed by the pandemic. The news comes as National Co-op & Work Integrated Learning Month is launched today.

Fall 2020 co-op work-terms increased by 27 per cent at Algonquin compared to the same pre-pandemic time in 2019. The trend continues in the 2021 Winter term, with year-over-year growth pushing towards 30 per cent. The increases come as Canada celebrates National Co-op & Work Integrated Learning Month.

The good news is more remarkable considering work-terms across the rest of the country have been decreasing, according to recent statistics from Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL). The organization’s November report indicated overall nation-wide placements were down by 14 per cent year-over-year.

“This great news is underscored by countless hours of effort and tireless dedication on the part of the College’s Cooperative Education team to our learners and employer partners,” said Algonquin President and CEO, Claude Brulé. “This success reminds us of the strong and resilient relationships the College has built with our business community, and how vital these connections are to overcoming our current challenges together.”

There are several reasons contributing to the success, including the Algonquin team being highly flexible even before the pandemic. They also employed precise attention to detail as every work-term needed a “hands-on” approach when the first shutdown happened last March.

That efficiency is now translating into optimism for the Summer 2021 term. In one week alone most recently, 373 interviews were planned for students at 77 different employers – a 13 per cent increase over the same period last year. A critical piece to maintaining this kind of consistency is keeping ahead on communications with employers.

“We kept a very close eye on which businesses were reopening and when,” said David Hall, Manager of Algonquin’s Cooperative Education Department. “Governments tend to tip their hand a few days before, so proactively, we would be in the in-boxes of our horticulture employers or our constructions employers knowing that they were going to be able to resume operations. We would reach out when they were about to do their hiring again.”


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