Students will integrate academic studies with a full-time paid work experience in a program related position with an employer organization. Students will apply academic knowledge and acquire more competence through relevant experience in their field of study while completing a 12- to 16- week work term. The work term will be monitored by Co-op faculty. Students will examine how the application of new skills affects their work and their relationships with others in the organization. They will also assess their interest in and attitude towards their field of study. Students will identify and analyze new skills in relation to their work and develop professional learning goals for the term.
Students must register for their Co-op work term only at the advisement of the Co-op office. Should a student accept a Co-op position and not follow the normal registration procedure, the Co-op office will proceed with manual registration for that student and Co-op work term course.
**All credits earned through the Co-op program apply directly to your Co-op designation. COOP 1101 is a 1-credit academic course; the Co-op work terms (1150, 2150, etc.) are additive credits.
Accepting a Co-op Position
Offers of employment must be accepted within 24 hours, or as approved by Co-op office team. Students are expected to accept the first job offer unless 2 job offers are received within 24 hours. Once a student accepts a confirmed job offer for a semester, the student will no longer be eligible for other opportunities, applications and interviews.
- Received an Offer? Notify the Co-op office by emailing your offer letter to co-op@kpu.ca. The Co-op office can assist with reviewing the offer to ensure it aligns with Co-op guidelines.
- Registration Opens: Once registrations open for the term, the Co-op office will send students with confirmed placements the necessary override and instructions on how to proceed.
- Register for Work Term Course: Register for the work term course and drop any other courses before the last day to drop with no penalty. Refer to the KPU Registration dates and deadlines page for specific deadlines: kpu.ca/registration/dates.
- Deadline Passed (Last Day to Add/Drop Courses with No Penalty?): If the deadline to add/drop courses without penalty has passed, reach out to the Co-op office to complete the Co-op Late Work Term Registration Form. This step is crucial to avoid penalties and receive a full refund for the courses being dropped.
No Access To Further Postings After Job Acceptance
Once a student has accepted to a job offer from an employer, students are committed to that employer and are no longer eligible for other positions. Students also will no longer have access to Co-op postings through Career Connection for that semester. Students have a professional and ethical obligation to satisfy the requirements of their employment contract.
Salaries
Co-op work wages reflect the individual organization’s and local labour market salary scale and also depend on student’s level of training and experience. Students must accept the salary offered by the employer and should not attempt to negotiate it. Students are encouraged to focus on learning experience and skills development during their work term placement rather than payment terms.
Registration
Registration for a Co-op work term must be completed prior to the start of a work term. The University reserves the right to register a student placed in a work term if the student fails to do so. This is agreed to when a student signs the Cooperative Education Student Agreement.
Work Term Responsibilities
WEEK 1
Students must submit their employer contact details and their contact information to the Career Connection. Students will also develop work term learning goals in 8 key competency areas. Throughout the semester the student will review and refine these goals with their supervisor as well as their Co-op Instructor.
ASSIGNMENTS
Students will reflect on their learning through a variety of assignments during the work term such as online discussions and reflective journaling. This reflection can include skills and tools you are learning, challenges you are facing, office etiquette issues, complexities in meeting new people, organizational culture insights and more as such things relate to your educational and career goals.
MID TERM SITE VISIT
A site visit will be scheduled for the middle of the semester. The Co-op instructor will attend the student's workplace to discuss (with the student and supervisor) the student’s progress and achievement of learning goals in the 8 competencies. At this time the employer and student can reflect on the learning progress to date in the co-op position.
END OF TERM
The student will meet with their supervisor to discuss their assessment of their competencies and goals they have achieved. The student is responsible for submitting a completed Employer Assessment form to their Co-op instructor that the employer is required to complete. The student also completes an end of term report or project for final evaluation.
WORK TERM GRADING
To achieve a Mastery (passing) grade on a Co-op work term as per KPU's Student Evaluation and Grading Policy, completion of the following is required:
- obtain a rating of satisfactory, or better, on all supervisor and Co-op faculty evaluations; and
- obtain a rating of satisfactory, or better, for all work term assignments
Work Term Extensions
Extension of a Co-op work term to subsequent semesters or returning for an additional work term with a previous Co-op employer requires registration in the appropriate work term course. Students will be manually registered into the appropriate course should a student not follow the registration process in a timely manner. Tuition will then be due. This is agreed to when a student signs the Cooperative Education Student Agreement.
