Co-operative Education Program and Career Services

The Co-operative Education Program and Career Services offers an integrated career-related service to students, employers, faculty and staff.

Co-operative Education

Co-operative Education formally integrates students’ academic and career studies on campus with relevant and productive work experience in industry, business, and government.

By accumulating up to two years of varied and program-related work experience students enhance their professional and personal development. Some of the benefits Co-op provides are opportunities for applying academic theories and knowledge, evaluating and adjusting career directions, and developing confidence and skills in working with people.

Co-operative Education programs are offered in the Faculty of Business, Faculty of Education (School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education — Kinesiology, Recreation and Health Education); the Faculty of Engineering (Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, Software Engineering and Computer Science); Faculty of Fine Arts (History in Art, Music, Theatre, Professional Writing, Theatre, Visual Arts); Faculty of Human and Social Development (Health Information Science, minor in Public Administration); Faculty of Humanities (English, French, Germanic and Russian Studies, Greek and Roman Studies, Hispanic and Italian Studies, History, Linguistics, Medieval Studies, Pacific and Asian Studies, Philosophy, and Women’s Studies); Faculty of Graduate Studies (Business Administration, Coaching Studies, Economics, Graduate Education, Public Administration, Sociology, and other graduate areas on an individually negotiated basis); Faculty of Law; Faculty of Science (Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Ocean Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics and Astronomy); and the Faculty of Social Sciences (Anthropology, Economics, Environmental Studies, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology). Graduate students in participating departments are also eligible to apply to the Humanities, Fine Arts and Professional Writing Co-op at the graduate level.

Admission
To apply for admission to the Co-op Program, please consult the appropriate department, school, or faculty.

Work Terms
As an integral component of Cooperative Education Programs, students are employed for a number of work terms, which are arranged and evaluated by the individual programs.

Co-op program coordinators must review all potential Co-op positions and evaluate their suitability for work term credit. Coordinators may determine some positions as unsuitable.

Work terms, normally of four months’ duration (12 weeks’ minimum), begin in January, May, and September. Work terms generally alternate with full-time academic terms on campus, and provide productive and paid, full-time work experience that is related to the student’s program of studies and individual interests.

General Regulations
Further information governing Co-operative Education Programs is available from the Director’s Office, Business and Economics Building, Room 410; telephone 250-721-7628, or from the 2012–2013 Calendar.

Career Services

http://www.careerservices.uvic.ca

Campus Services Building
Monday–Friday
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
250-721-8421

Our mission is to support student success through career education. We do this by providing career development expertise and by facilitating connections among students, alumni, faculty, employers and other community members.

Services Offered:

• individual coaching and group sessions on exploring career options, connecting with career and work opportunities and managing career transitions are available to all current students, new graduates and alumni
  
  
• tips on resumé, cv, and cover letter preparation; interviews and work search
  
  
• online postings for part-time, summer, career and on-campus opportunities
  
  
• career resource library
  
  
• career fairs, career forums, and employer information sessions
  
  
• registration in the casual job registries
  
  
• use of computers for work search purposes
  
  

Career Services’ information is also displayed on notice boards around campus and on the Career Services’ website.