The team in Co-operative Education & Workplace Partnerships is working to find placements for students seeking positions that will allow them to apply their classroom learning in a professional environment. However, the pandemic and response to it may cost many these opportunities.

“Several of our students have seen their offers rescinded or on hold where employers are not set up to on-board and supervise students working in a remote capacity or their operation is temporarily closed,” says Sandra Davis, employer relations co-ordinator.

The national accrediting body, Co-operative Education and Work Integrated Learning Canada, has been working with government to advocate for modifications to the requirements in an effort to salvage employment opportunities.

New flexibilities to federal funding resources will enable post-secondary institutions to tap into those funds and hire students.

If your department could benefit from student help this summer or fall work term, the co-op office can guide you through the pre-approval process and help with the recruitment process if you meet the following eligibility guidelines:

• Is this a brand-new position that you’ve never hired a student for before?
• Are you able to provide a full time (at least 35 hours/week) paid employment opportunity to a student for at least eight weeks?
• Can your office benefit from hiring a student with skills related to STEM, business, or kinesiology?
• Students must be Canadian citizens at the undergraduate or Master level of study who are registered in a co-op program and eligible for a summer or fall 2020 work term

For more information, contact Davis via email at sdavis@uwindsor.ca or review the criteria here: https://www.cewilcanada.ca/cgi/page.cgi/Studentworkplacementprogram.html.