In the race to land the best and brightest young talent, recruiters need to take advantage of every opportunity. Some try to get a head start by fostering relationships with tomorrow’s potential hires before they leave school. These sites offer tips for employers considering recruiting interns and co-op students.
First stop
www.cafce.ca/e/index-e.htm
The Canadian Association for Co-operative Education site is a great place to start for employers considering hiring an intern or co-op student. From the “About CAFCE” link on the left of the page, employers will find a definition of co-operative education that outlines the employers’ obligation and what will be expected of them to manage a valid co-op program. The “Employer Information” link discusses the benefits to employers, employer ethics, and student testimonials. The site offers a co-operative education directory, which is a comprehensive of list of Canadian post-secondary co-operative education programs.
Co-op on a world scale
www.waceinc.org
The World Association for Cooperative Education is an international non-profit organization that promotes co-operative education on a global front. The site offers information on upcoming events, a newsletter, other publications, frequently asked questions on membership with WACE, as well as a list of partner organizations worldwide.
Tips from the government
www.youth.gc.ca/yoaux.jsp?&lang=en&flash=1&ta=5&auxpageid=528#assorted
The Government of Canada’s site devoted to youth employment programs outlines youth employment strategies. Career Focus helps post-secondary grads acquire employment skills. The site outlines eligibility criteria for both students and employers. Summer Work Experience is similar to Career Focus, however the candidates range from secondary to post-secondary students, and work terms run only through the summer.
Four outstanding co-op employers
www.naceweb.org/about/public/spot/032003fp.htm
The National Association of Colleges and Employers, an American organization, has an article identifying the best practices of four companies. Disney, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, IBM and NASA were “identified by NACE college members as having outstanding experiential education programs.” The summary briefly describes meaningful work experiences, mentoring, compensation, communication, consistency and flexibility, and program improvement as being several key factors in developing successful internship and co-op programs.
A plan for co-op placements
www.communitycc.ca/ccc/edpart/trplan.asp
This site, created for Newfoundland and Labrador residents, offers some great resources for any employer looking to hire co-op students and interns. There is information on job-shadowing, work placement and career related programs. One particularly interesting feature is the “work placement learning plans” that should help employers set up a placement program and evaluate the student’s progress. The learning plans are listed alphabetically by profession or trade and are downloadable.
Tax credits in Ontario
www.gov.on.ca/FIN/english/tax/2000/tb96e2r2.htm
Employers in some provinces are eligible for a tax credit for hiring students enrolled in a recognized post-secondary co-operative education program. This bulletin, from the Ontario Ministry of Finance, provides answers to a list of questions that help employers determine whether they are eligible, definitions of qualifying placements, how to make a claim and more.
Shannon Simson is Canadian HR Reporter’s resource editor. Her Web Sight column appears regularly in the CloseUp section.
First stop
www.cafce.ca/e/index-e.htm
The Canadian Association for Co-operative Education site is a great place to start for employers considering hiring an intern or co-op student. From the “About CAFCE” link on the left of the page, employers will find a definition of co-operative education that outlines the employers’ obligation and what will be expected of them to manage a valid co-op program. The “Employer Information” link discusses the benefits to employers, employer ethics, and student testimonials. The site offers a co-operative education directory, which is a comprehensive of list of Canadian post-secondary co-operative education programs.
Co-op on a world scale
www.waceinc.org
The World Association for Cooperative Education is an international non-profit organization that promotes co-operative education on a global front. The site offers information on upcoming events, a newsletter, other publications, frequently asked questions on membership with WACE, as well as a list of partner organizations worldwide.
Tips from the government
www.youth.gc.ca/yoaux.jsp?&lang=en&flash=1&ta=5&auxpageid=528#assorted
The Government of Canada’s site devoted to youth employment programs outlines youth employment strategies. Career Focus helps post-secondary grads acquire employment skills. The site outlines eligibility criteria for both students and employers. Summer Work Experience is similar to Career Focus, however the candidates range from secondary to post-secondary students, and work terms run only through the summer.
Four outstanding co-op employers
www.naceweb.org/about/public/spot/032003fp.htm
The National Association of Colleges and Employers, an American organization, has an article identifying the best practices of four companies. Disney, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, IBM and NASA were “identified by NACE college members as having outstanding experiential education programs.” The summary briefly describes meaningful work experiences, mentoring, compensation, communication, consistency and flexibility, and program improvement as being several key factors in developing successful internship and co-op programs.
A plan for co-op placements
www.communitycc.ca/ccc/edpart/trplan.asp
This site, created for Newfoundland and Labrador residents, offers some great resources for any employer looking to hire co-op students and interns. There is information on job-shadowing, work placement and career related programs. One particularly interesting feature is the “work placement learning plans” that should help employers set up a placement program and evaluate the student’s progress. The learning plans are listed alphabetically by profession or trade and are downloadable.
Tax credits in Ontario
www.gov.on.ca/FIN/english/tax/2000/tb96e2r2.htm
Employers in some provinces are eligible for a tax credit for hiring students enrolled in a recognized post-secondary co-operative education program. This bulletin, from the Ontario Ministry of Finance, provides answers to a list of questions that help employers determine whether they are eligible, definitions of qualifying placements, how to make a claim and more.
Shannon Simson is Canadian HR Reporter’s resource editor. Her Web Sight column appears regularly in the CloseUp section.
