Are co-op students “placed” or do they compete for jobs?
Co-op students participate in an open competition for jobs; they are not placed with specific employers. The role of the Co-op Office in the hiring process is to find potential employers willing to hire students, and provide a means for students to apply for the available jobs. The Co-op office acts as facilitator in the process. Given such a competitive employment process, individual factors such as a student’s skills, motivation, academic performance, maturity, attitude, professional conduct, flexibility and performance potential determine whether or not a student is offered employment. Although the Co-op Office makes every effort to have full employment for all co-op students, the competitive nature of the hiring process means that there are no guarantees of a student being hired.
