Serving a co-op term with automotive supplier Mitchell Plastics was very educational, says Harpreet Singh Joshi. He spent four months with the research and development team of the Kitchener-based firm, eliminating defects in switch plates and cup holders for Lexus luxury cars.

“I learned about the Canadian industrial culture—how the companies here work,” says Joshi, one of seven students in the Master of Engineering automotive co-op program presenting posters about their recently-completed placements, Monday in the Centre for Engineering Innovation.

It’s a chance for the students to discuss what they have learned with instructors and students soon to begin their own placements, says Sheri Lowrie, program administrator for the centre for Executive and Professional Education.

“They are required to make a poster presentation at the end of their work terms,” she says. “Besides giving them an opportunity to show their professors what they have learned, it gives the newer students a chance to find out what their co-op employers will expect.”

Karthick Prakash, who worked as a program management intern with a local plastics manufacturer, calls his co-op term “an amazing learning opportunity.”

“The position allowed me to gain real-world experience in product knowledge, communication, design and more,” he says. “My internship experience has provided me with a newfound passion for Canadian automobile industries and inspired me to explore new talents.”