Co-op at Saint Mary’s – 30 years and growing

Commerce student Ilnar Akhmedjanov is one of hundreds of students who have taken advantage of the co-op experience at Saint Mary's.

National Co-operative Education Week is March 20-24, and Saint Mary’s University has a special reason to celebrate. The university has reached the milestone of 30 years of co-op, and shows no sign of slowing down.

Currently there are about 260 co-op students at Saint Mary’s. What began 30 years ago as an offering in undergraduate science has expanded to include Psychology in the arts program, the Master of Science in Applied Science and all Commerce majors.

“It’s continuously growing with new programs coming in,” says Sherry Ross, Senior Employment Development Officer. “The number of students involved in the program has definitely grown, and the variety of job opportunities now for students has dramatically increased.”

The program’s latest initiative is a pilot project for a Sociology/Criminology co-op option. The first students will head out on co-op terms this summer in settings such as government, universities and non-profit organizations. 

Ross says co-op is “an opportunity for students to gain the hands-on experience that enhances what they learn in the classroom.”

It’s an opportunity that Elizabeth Elliott embraced. She says part of the reason she chose Saint Mary’s was the strength of its co-op program and the support it offers students. She completed three co-op terms – one with a non-profit organization and two with the Department of National Defence in Halifax, where she now works as a human resources officer trainee.

“It gave me the confidence to know that when I was coming out of school I was going into a field that I knew I would enjoy,” says Elliott, who graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations.

Co-operative education is a win-win proposition. Joelle Dollard, a senior manager with WBLI Chartered Accountants, is one of Saint Mary’s long-time co-op employers. She says co-op programs offer a valuable recruiting tool and give students and employers a chance to see if there’s a good fit.

“They come with new ideas and they’re eager to learn. They want to do a good job and find out what it’s like to be in a public practice at an accounting firm,” she says. “They’re definitely team players. We’ve had great success in hiring good co-ops that fit in well and then eventually come back to work with us as long-term employees.”

Current and potential co-op students are invited to get together to celebrate co-op and enjoy cake and conversation on Wednesday, March 23, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Student Centre lobby.

This page last modified Tuesday, 22-Mar-2011 10:21:50 ADT