Co-op, Career and Employment Services

Co-op, Career and Employment Services (CCES) supports faculties in the integration of work and learning in educational and practice settings, to aid in developing the understandings, procedures, and dispositions required for effective professional practice to benefit all UWindsor graduates, their future employers, and our collective society.

What are examples of work integrated learning (WIL)?

Current typology identifies seven types of WIL, all distinguished by a wide-range of characteristics. This includes apprenticeships, field experience, mandatory professional practice, co-op, internship, applied research projects, and service learning.

What is Co-op?

Co-op is an option offered by an academic program combining semesters of study with semesters of full-time, paid employment in career-related positions. At UWindsor, Co-op is currently offered in selected graduate and undergraduate programs within Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Kinesiology, and Physics.

What does Career and Employment Services do?

Career and Employment Services, as distinct from Co-op, offer a variety of programming, events, and services to assist in preparing students for the transition from the classroom to the world of work, including the following:

• Free workshops on topics related to career planning and employment
• Individual career advising appointments and drop-in hours
• Career assessments and interest inventories with qualified staff
• Mock interviews for job or professional school applications
• Drop-in resume clinics run by specially trained peers
• Networking and recruitment events including our Annual Job Fair (January), the Graduate and Professional Schools Fair (October), and Employer Information Sessions
• Online job postings targeted to students and graduates
• Career and Employment Services also provides support to faculty. It can assist you with the administration of internship and practicum courses.
• What topics does Career and Employment Services cover in its appointments and workshops?
• Career and Employment Services staff is able to provide advice on a variety of topics, including but not limited to:
• Career planning and decision making (i.e. “What can I do with my degree?”)
• Writing a resume, cover letter, or CV
• Preparing for an interview
• Conducting an effective job search
• Considering further education

What is the Volunteer Internship Program (VIP)?

VIP is a unique year-round program in which students are matched with a local non-profit or publicly funded organization for a volunteer placement. VIP students volunteer for 40 hours over 8 to 10 weeks and complete small reflective assignments. This experience earns students recognition on their transcript and a certificate upon completion of the Program. It also enhances a student’s resume with a new experience.

Who uses Co-op, Career, and Employment Services?

• Co-op is only open to students in one of the programs that offers a co-op option. Some students are admitted directly from high school and others apply once they are already studying here. See the Co-op website for details.
• All current students in good academic standing are eligible to apply to the Volunteer Internship Program.
• All students and alumni are eligible to benefit from the offerings of Career and Employment Services. Note that the Odette School of Business and Faculty of Law also operate their own career services for students and alumni of their programs.

How can I help my students?

• CCES needs your help to reach students! Please consider inviting a CCES staff member into your class to make a presentation. The length and topic are up to you. Some instructors prefer a brief overview of CCES services, while others prefer to spend more time on a specific topic. CCES will be happy to work with you to customize material or activities specific to your needs.
• Your students can log on to mySuccess to view job postings, event schedules, and appointment availability or apply to VIP and Co-op. Please refer students to mySuccess and consider posting a link on your course sites.
• CCES actively wants to work with you! CCES is always looking for new ways to grow its programs and support faculty in offering new programming and experiential learning opportunities. If you have a viable idea for an experiential education opportunity, the CCES team encourages you to get in touch.