Welcome Orientation ClassSeptember 15, 2010

Welcome New Co-op Students

Your host, Chantal Gagnon

Creating Enriched Educational Experiences Since 1980

AGENDA

Address by Ollivier Dyens, Vice-Provost, Teaching & Learning

Introduction of Co-op Staff and Faculty

Overview of Co-operative Education Benefits and Requirements

Role of the Co-op Academic Directors

Role of the Co-op Coordinators

International Opportunities

Student Experiences

Mentorship Program

Eat ‘n’ Greet

Introducing the Co-op Team

Institute for Co-operative EducationAdministration and Staff

Chen F. Huang Interim Director

Louise Lalonde Officer, Communications and Marketing

Lynn Bergeron Program Administrator

Leslie Hughes Assistant to the Director and Principal

Melissa Clidaras Co-op Service Assistant

Samantha Hamer Co-op Service Assistant

Your Co-op Coordinators

Nadine Benjamin, Senior Coordinator ACT, ACT/F, MATH, ECON, ECONMA, IBUS, ISS, QSE

Alex Bottausci, Coordinator MBA, FINA

Sally Craig, Coordinator HRMA, MARK, PHYS

Frederick Francis, Coordinator ARTH, BLDG, CIVI, MECH, INDU and INEX

Chantal Gagnon, Coordinator TRAN E/F, F/E

Chen F. Huang, Coordinator CHEM & BIOCHEM

Richard Melkonian, Coordinator ACCO, DMIS, SCOM, DART, CART

Jean-Michel Paquette, Coordinator COEN, SOEN, ELEC, COMP and INEX

ACADEMIC DIRECTORSFaculty of Arts and Science

Dr. S. Twareque Ali ACT, ACT/F, MATH, STATS

Dr. Chantal Gagnon TRAN E-F, TRAN F-E

Dr. Greg LeBlanc ECON, ECONMA

Dr. Sushil Misra PHYS

Dr. Sébastien Robidoux CHEM, BIOCHEM

ACADEMIC DIRECTORSFaculty of Engineering and Computer Science

Dr. Henry Hong INDU, MECH

Dr. Mustafa K. Mehmet Ali COEN, ELEC

Dr. Joey Paquet COMPSCI, SOEN

Dr. Lucia Tirca BLDG, CIVI

ACADEMIC DIRECTORSFaculty of Fine Arts

Dr. Elaine Cheasley Paterson ARTH

Prof. Jason Lewis

CART

Prof. Christopher Moore DART

ACADEMIC DIRECTORSJohn Molson School of Business

Dr. Arvind Jain IBUS

Prof. Jay Mannadiar FINA

Prof. Tara Ramsaran ACCO

Prof. Barbara Shapiro HRMA

Prof. Harold Simpkins MARK

Dr. Raul Valverde DMIS/SCOM

ACADEMIC DIRECTORSMasters Co-op Programs

Dr. Mourad Debbabi MASc QSE, MASc ISS

Dr. Alan Hochstein MBA

Dr. Greg LeBlanc MA Economics

Chen F. Huang

Interim Director

Institute for Co-operative Education

Concordia University

What is Co-operative Education?

According to the

Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE)

Co-op alternates periods of academic study with periods of

work experience in appropriate fields of business, industry,

government, social services and the professions in

accordance with the following criteria:

Co-operative Education Criteria

• “Learning Approved” work terms

• Real work

• Paid work terms

• Work site visit by Co-op representative

• Supervision and performance evaluation

• At least 30% - 50% work term/study term ratio

How Do You Benefit from Co-op?• Beat “Catch 22”• Try your career on for size• Put your learning to work• Earn while you learn• “Test the waters” in your field• Gain important soft skills• Find out what employers want• Develop independence and maturity • Grow your network• Perfect your job search technique• Relevant work experience• Spread your wings in Canada and abroad• Gain recognition through special Co-op and departmental awards

Co-op Requirements

• Maintain full-time status• Complete a minimum of two or three academic terms

prior to your first work term• Maintain good academic standing• Maintain a sound GPA (differs between programs)• Attend orientation, workshops and professional

development seminars• Complete all work terms to graduate as a member of

the Institute for Co-operative Education

Co-op Work Terms

• Work terms range from 12 to 17 weeks in length

• Work terms are competitive, not guaranteed

• Actively participate in finding your work term

• CWT 100, 200, 300 or 400 are the academic designations for your work term

Distribution of Co-op Students by Faculty2009 – 2010 Academic Year

Arts and Science 13% Engineering and Computer Science 37%Fine Arts 3%JMSB 44%Graduate Programs 3% GRAD 3%

JMSB 44% FA 3% ENCS 37%

ARTSCI 13%

September January May

Academic Academic Work Term I

AcademicWork Term II Academic

Work Term III Academic Work Term IV

Final Academic

September January May

Academic Academic Academic

Work Term I Academic Work Term II

Academic Work Term IIIFinal

Academic

Alternating Co-op Schedules

There are at least four differing academic and work term schedules for Co-op students, depending on their program.

• An example of a four work term schedule:

• Many co-op students have a three work term schedule:

Co-op Interviews and Job Process

Job posting from employers

Co-op students apply

Employers select who they wish to interview

Employers rank who they would like to hire

On job match day, job offers are made and the process continues for those Co-op students who were not immediately matched

Evaluation of Co-op Work Terms

• Adherence to policies and deadlines

• Work term report/presentation (depending on your program)

• Employer evaluation

Strengthening the Co-op Experience

Reflective Learning Seminar

• Mandatory work term extension course concurrent with your work term

• You will be registered automatically to CWT 101, 201, etc.

• Your Pass/Fail mark will be recorded on your transcript

Dr. Sébastien RobidouxAcademic Director

Chemistry and Biochemistry Co-op

Roles and Responsibilities of

the Co-op Academic Director

CEGEP Visits

• Visited John Abbott, Vanier, Dawson, Champlain, Montmorency, St-Lawrence, Marianopolis, Jean-de-Brébeuf,

• 10-15 minute presentation in chemistry classes

• Talked directly to science students

• No more “I didn’t know”

Sample Academic Schedule

Employers in 2009-2010

MontréalMerck Frosst Canada, CHUM, FPInnovations: Paprican Division,

Environment Canada, Perkin Elmer BioSignal Inc.,Institut de Recherche Clinique de Montréal (IRCM),

Canadian Technical Tape Ltd., MediMabs Inc.

LavalBoehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd, Institut Armand Frappier,

Virochem Pharma.

GermanyUniversitat Heidelberg

Organic/Inorganic bioorganic/bioinorga

nic & synthetic

AnalyticalBioanalytical, environmental, & mass

spec

MaterialsNanochemist

ry

Physicalcomputational & biophysical

Biochemistryprotein

structure & function?

Summary

Roles and responsibilities• CEGEP visits• Interviews• Course and work term schedule• Employers• Resource person• Work site visits• Grading work term reports

Nadine Benjamin

Senior Coordinator

Role of the Coordinators andInternational Initiatives

Coordinator Function

• To seek and develop new employers and establish partnerships

• To maintain sound relationships with existing employers and generate employment opportunities

• To provide marketing and networking opportunities for students

• To design, develop and deliver career preparation seminars

• To counsel students on an ongoing basis, regarding career, personal and academic issues

• To enable students with job finding skills

• To negotiate every aspect of each student’s work term

• −

Coordinator Function continued

• To approve jobs posted on the Co-op website

• To conduct site visits to monitor student performance

• To be involved in work term report evaluation

• To plan for the maintenance and growth of assigned programs • To maintain regular interaction with faculty in their program

areas

• To oversee and assess student recruitment, admission, retention and graduation

Out of Town and Overseas Work Terms

• Excellent opportunity to expand your experience without a major life commitment

• Learn about new places and cultures• Learn about yourself• Get help to get there

Very important…

Plan well in advance to optimize your experience

Out of Town and Overseas Work Terms

Local and Out of Town Work TermsMay 1, 2009 – April 30, 2010

Montreal Area – 675

Out of Town and International - 125

Work Term Abroad

CFA FORMASUP EXCHANGE OPTIONWork term in Paris

• CFA Formasup is a consortium of major French Universities, Professional Organizations and the Paris Chamber of Commerce

• 8 month work term integrating valuable work experience with academic studies in one of France’s top universities such as: Pantheon-Sorbonne, Pantheon-Assas, Paris-Dauphine, Paris-Diderot     

• Open to Senior Undergraduate and Graduate Students with good French skills

• Certification delivered at the end of the work term 

Going Global for Global Job Seekers

Massive Research Tool with over 35,000resources for finding International Employment

• Job search resources (job postings, job sites, job fairs, newspapers)• Information on employment opportunities and trends• Business resources (Chambers of Commerce, Trade Councils)• Information on work permits and visa regulations• Cultural and interviewing advice

Some of the countries covered are: Australia, Belgium, Canada,China, France, India, Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, USA,to name a few

Canada-Japan Program

The Institute for Co-operative Education at Concordia is

a partner in this program

The Canada-Japan program links:• The best undergraduate students with highly committed Japanese

businesses• The majority of students accepted are in the Engineering and

Computer Science programs• You must have at least basic Japanese language skills in order to

participate

Other International Work Term Resources

Co-op students are encouraged to find international workterms with the help of:

• Youth Challenge International• Concordia ICOP• RISE: Research Internships in Science &

Engineering• AIESEC• SWAP• WACE

Co-op Student ExperiencesRaymond TamFinance Co-op

Maria Arias PinnellBiochemistry Co-op

Matthew BattahAccountancy Co-op

Alexandra CrevierCivil Engineering Co-op

Leslie Hughes

Assistant to the Director and Principal

Co-op Mentorship Program

Co-op Mentorship ProgramStudent-to-Student

• Ease your transition into co-op life; • Manage alternating academic semesters and work terms more easily;• Network with fellow co-op students;• Build friendships;• Achieve academic and social success while enjoying your time as a

co-op student;• Get ready for you first work term;• Prepare yourself to become a mentor.

What is it?

• A voluntary program in which a senior co-op student provides assistance and shares first-hand knowledge and experience with a co-op student preparing for the first work term.

What is it?

• A voluntary program in which a senior co-op student provides assistance and shares first-hand knowledge and experience with a co-op student preparing for the first work term.

What are my benefits as a Mentee?What are my benefits as a Mentee?

What is the length of my commitment?• It is on a per term basis (four months).

How often am I required to meet with my mentor?• Only four hours per month!

Are there any other requirements?• We ask you to fill out a short Progress Report every 2 to 3 weeks.

What is the cost?• It’s FREE!

When can I apply?• At any time throughout the year!

When am I eligible? • On your last academic semester before your first work term.

How do I apply?• Download form from the Co-op website co-op.concordia.ca.

Who should I contact?• Leslie Hughes at Leslie.Hughes@concordia.ca

Co-op Mentorship Program

AYMAN KAWTHARANI

Finance Co-op Student and Mentor

Creating Enriched Educational Experiences Since 1980

Students. Staff. Faculty. Employers.

All your Co-op partnerslook forward to working with

YOU!