How does UWindsor prepare students for their work term?
Co-op and internship students at the University of Windsor must complete the Transform course in preparation for their work term. This course provides students with essential job readiness skills to be successful in the job competition. Students learn the tools and techniques necessary to create resumes and cover letters, a reference list, and prepare for job interviews. They also learn about workplace health and safety. Students who complete Transform enter the job competition feeling confident and ready to present themselves to employers effectively.
Hire UWindsor Co-op in four easy steps:
- Post a job. Post a job description on our online recruitment tool or by contacting an Employer Relations Coordinator.
- Review applications. After your job has been posted, we’ll email the resumes of the students who are interested in your position.
- Interview students. Shortlist candidates and we’ll coordinate the interviews. You can conduct interviews at your site, virtually, or in one of our interview rooms on campus.
- Rank the candidates and leave the rest to us. We’ll assist with making the offer and hiring a student.
“I have learned a lot of helpful skills in my classes, like Agile Concepts, Software Design, and Data Structure. The modern curriculum and specialized labs offered at the University of Windsor helped me expand my talents.”
- Smitkumar Patel, Master of Applied Computing Intern
How to ensure a successful work term – what is expected of an employer?
As valued partners in the co-operative education program at the University of Windsor, we consider our employer partners as co-educators of our students, playing an important role in providing experiential education and meaningful career-related work experience.
The following responsibilities are required of our co-op employer partners:
Work term duration: provide paid, full-time work for a minimum of 4-months (approximately 16 weeks) and between 35-40 hours per week.
Work duties/responsibilities: provide quality learning opportunities that are relevant to the student’s academic program and that supports their overall skill development.
Site visits: mid-way through the work term, it is requested that each supervisor and student meet for either a virtual or on-site visit with one of the co-op coordinators to discuss the student’s performance and progress to date.
Supervision: provide supervision, guidance, and constructive feedback during the work term and report any concerns to the co-op coordinator.
Performance evaluations: complete an online evaluation of the student’s performance at the end of the work term. The evaluations are designed to provide feedback to students to assist with their personal and professional development. We suggest supervisors meet with their students at the end of the work term to review and discuss the evaluation.
Our co-op advisors are always available to provide support and guidance throughout the entire process to ensure the work term is successful.
How to ensure a successful work term – what is expected of a student?
During a co-op work term, students are required to complete a series of self-reflective assignments to earn academic credit for the semester.
Learning objectives: students will submit their learning objectives and goals within the first two weeks of their work term. Students are encouraged to share and discuss their learning objectives with their supervisor.
Mid-term check-in: a co-op coordinator will arrange and meet with the student and their supervisor individually to discuss how the work term is progressing. This consultation is conducted either in-person or virtually.
Work term assignment: students are required to write and submit a work term assignment at the end of their placement that reflects on their work term experience and how it connects to what they are learning in the classroom.
“My co-op placement as Project Coordinator made me realize that I want to explore the sub-discipline of civil engineering as a future career. During my placement, I was able to work on several challenging projects where I learned how to read architectural, electrical, mechanical, and interior design drawings, and how to communicate effectively with consultants, engineers, and trades.”
- Yasamin Safi, 3rd Year Engineering Co-op Student
Learn about training and development
Our office helps you navigate all that UWindsor offers as part of our service to you. This and more.
For more information, contact the office of Career Development & Experiential Learning:
Joyce Entrepreneurship Centre, Suite 100 519.253.3000 x 3900 careerservices@uwindsor.ca
Or Contact Co-operative Education & Workplace Partnerships:
Joyce Entrepreneurship Centre, Suite 132 519.253.3000 x 3877 employer@uwindsor.ca