1210212.us16.myftpupload.com Managed WordPress Site

Tag: co-op

  • Benefits of Skilled Trade Co-op Programs for Secondary Students

    Benefits of Skilled Trade Co-op Programs for Secondary Students

    Most high schools in Canada offer work experience programs, also known as Co-operative Education or, Co-op.  Students get to spend part of the day in a workplace environment in a career field of their choice.

    These programs are designed to give students the opportunity to apply and develop the skills they have learned in the classroom in a real-life career setting, while learning new skills and gaining valuable work experience.

    Co-op programs are always a great idea, especially if you’re considering a career in the skilled trades.

    Exploring your Options

    To begin with, Co-op offers you a first-hand glimpse into a career or field you might be interested in. During a placement, students are given responsibilities, as well as opportunities to participate in work-based projects.

    It’s a hands-on experience, as well as a surefire way to help you decide if a career is right for you. For example, at a placement in an auto-repair garage, you might learn that you’d be more in sheet-metal working, instead of auto-mechanics.

    The most appealing aspect of all is that you get to work in your chosen field while earning credits toward your high school diploma!

    Life Skills

    The real world experience of a Co-op placement teaches students life skills they will use now and in the future. Some of those skills include:

    Professionalism

    During a work placement, you are treated as an employee. Therefore, you are expected to arrive to your placement on time and dress in a manner that is appropriate for the workplace.

    You are also expected to behave in a matter than shows confidence and respect towards your supervisor(s) and colleagues. Furthermore, you get that same respect back in return when you show a professional attitude.

    Accountability

    As a Co-op student, you are expected to carry out responsibilities like any other employee in the professional workplace.

    A company and/or client will not hire you if they can’t rely on you to fulfill your responsibilities.

    Skilled workers, whether they are self-employed or work for a company, have to be accountable because their livelihood depends on it.

    Multi-tasking:

    While taking Co-op, you learn to juggle school with your work placement, and other commitments (i.e. extra-curricular, part-time job, etc). The ability to multi-task well is not only a skill, it’s a gift.

    Skilled labour industries rely heavily on worker productivity. Co-op students working for instance, on a construction site, in a plant or auto repair shop, learn how to balance and prioritize projects.

    Teamwork

    The skilled trades most often require labourers to work effectively as a team. Think about construction workers on a site, or technicians on a power line.

    Co-op students interested in pursuing a skilled trade get to experience first-hand, the importance of relying on fellow workers to get a job done, while keeping everyone safe.

    Graduation and Beyond

    After graduation, you will likely choose to enroll in a post-secondary program or pursue an apprenticeship. Guess what? That co-op course you took looks great on your application!

    Also, it’s not at all unusual for students to get hired by their Co-op employers; a work placement could eventually turn into a future job.

    Finally, having that Co-op experience also gives students the opportunity to network and build lifelong contacts. These contacts just might lead you to your dream career!

  • Co-Opportunities

    Co-Opportunities

    With Canada’s unemployment rate at an estimated 7.6 per cent and the youth unemployment rate almost double that at approximately 14 per cent, it is becoming evident that one of the greatest tolls of the global economic downturn in this country is not necessarily job loss, but a lack of entry-level positions. Statistics suggest that higher education is key to improving the standard of living. University degrees are often not useful in predicting a person’s career prospects, particularly in regard to the types of employment a graduate may be best suited to undertake.

    In many instances, individuals will not directly use their degrees in their future professions. There are varying reasons for this, including the fact that individuals may change their minds or circumstances, or select a field of study that does not have a corresponding profession. However, to a large extent, the reason is the same as the cause of high youth unemployment: most degrees do not offer practical experience in a particular field of employment.

    There’s a saying about employment: you can’t get hired without job experience, but you can’t get job experience without being hired. This is the bind in which many university students are caught under our current system.

    So, how can it be remedied? How can students be free to pursue their desired degrees while at the same time gaining a leg up in the job market? Well, we don’t need to look far to see how it is done. Canada’s own University of Waterloo offers the country’s largest co-operative education program. Waterloo’s co-op system offers a combination of study and work semesters in which each student has access to an administrator who helps students find placements during work terms. This has the added bonus of providing students with paid employment during the school year, which means that, in many instances, students in the co-op program can graduate with a lower level of student debt than their non-co-op counterparts.

    But it is not just Waterloo that uses a co-op system. U of T’s Scarborough campus also has a program. And recently, the country of Singapore announced that it is adopting co-op programs in all of its public universities in order to address the concerns voiced by employers about graduates having insufficient work experience to do their jobs properly. This was putting a drag on the economy as businesses had to invest in costly training programs for new hires — making them less likely to hire recent grads.

    The biggest concern regarding implementing a plan like this on a wide-scale basis, as Singapore has done, is that not every degree program has a corresponding list of potential jobs. However, co-op programs are voluntary and it should also be noted that every student has some idea of the types of jobs that might interest them — which leads to another advantage of the co-op program: instead of graduating and jumping into a career only to realize that it isn’t the right fit, students have four years in which to try out different career options.

    Say you are studying political science in university and have a desire to work in journalism. You get a co-op job at a newspaper and suddenly you find it isn’t as much like All the President’s Men as you had initially thought. If you had already graduated you would be in some serious trouble. Instead, in a co-op program you get to return to a semester of school and think about all the different placements that might mesh with your major. You could work at a polling company, a political advisory firm, or find a job in a government department. You can try each of them out and, after your time at university, you have a better understanding of what career you want to pursue, while also having an impressive resume to help you get the job you want.

    Students need jobs. If a generation is saddled with unemployment, it harms everyone, causing a lack of dignity, lower standards of living, strained public services, and employers who cannot find the necessary talent to fill positions. Instead, Ontario can respond to youth unemployment with a plan that will not only help young people, but will also ensure that the province leaves the recession in a stronger position than when it first entered it. The way forward is to adopt a co-op program to ensure that students have the option of practical work experience to complement their traditional degree program when attending university.

  • Co-Operative Education and Volunteering

    Co-Operative Education and Volunteering

    When we think of work we usually immediately think of compensation – which, in all fairness, is why we work. However, working for free or enrolling in what is called a co-operative education program can be quite beneficial for young individuals trying to get their foot in the door. It is usually offered to high school students and young adults working towards a high school diploma. Volunteering is also another way to get experience, so let’s take a deeper look into both of these options.

    Co-operative education is aimed at both high school students and young adults who have not yet completed the requirements for a high school diploma. The student normally chooses their place of employment and is scheduled to come to class a few times a week to log in what they did at their workplace and what they learned.

    Co-op placements, much like volunteering, gives hands on experience in the workplace. They do not differ much except that successful co-op students may be hired on by the employer upon successful completion of their assignment. In addition, students earn credits through the co-op program that go towards their high school diploma.

    Co-op is perfect for students who have not yet graduated; not only will they receive credits, but they may also be setting themselves up for future employment.

    Co-operative education is offered by all high schools and adult education centres in Ontario. Perquisites vary, but are not very strict. Check with your local high school or adult learning centre.

    Volunteering is ideal for high school students who are either looking to complete their 40 hours of community service (which is a mandatory requirement for high school graduates) or students who would like to see more of the workplace, gain first hand exposure at working life and determine which career would most suit them.

    In this day and age, networking is a must. By volunteering students can meet employers, build strong professional relationships with their colleagues and apply these skills to life after high school. Students can gain valuable workplace experience, use them as references and share their knowledge with classmates.

    With so many employment opportunities, students can limit their career choices and choose the appropriate courses that will guide them to their chosen field of study.

    Both volunteering and co-op serve as great chances to develop strong communication skills, familiarize yourself with the workplace and its people and get to know what career best suits you.

    By engaging in volunteering or co-op, students will carry life long references and lessons brought on by early workplace exposure. This will follow students to and from college or directly to the workplace.