FIRSTNAME, as a Concordia engineering grad, you know firsthand how work-integrated learning is invaluable in preparing students for their future careers. These opportunities let students apply what they’re learning in real-world settings, develop confidence and build the experience that will allow them to contribute from day one.
Since 1980, our Institute for Co-operative Education has partnered with organizations across Montreal and Quebec to give students meaningful professional experience while helping employers identify future talent. It’s likely that you too benefited from such a placement during your degree. That’s why I’m writing to you today to ask you to help open that same door for today’s students by encouraging your organization to be part of this effort.
Work-integrated learning is more important than ever. Shifting demographics, immigration caps and disruptive technologies like AI are making it more difficult to find and train the qualified workforce of tomorrow. The effects of these changes are particularly acute in industries such as electrical, software and many other fields of engineering.
In this evolving labour market, Concordia’s co-operative learning programs provide a valuable response to the current challenges. Participating employers benefit from early access to emerging talent from the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science, one of the top-ranked engineering schools in Canada, as well as from cutting-edge departments across the university. Concordia students arrive at our partner organizations with strong academic preparation, multifaceted skillsets, diverse global perspectives and, in most cases, the ability to work in both French and English.
For employers, co-op and other work-integrated learning opportunities are both practical and strategic. It’s a way to strengthen your talent pipeline, bring fresh thinking into your organization, and connect with students whose training incorporates the latest developments in their fields. It can also be a cost-effective approach to recruitment, with tax credits and subsidies available for many placements.
Our flexible programming offers many different structures — from providing training to a single intern to benefiting from the contributions of a transdisciplinary group of students — that can be tailored to your needs. I invite you to consider how your organization can take part in Concordia’s work-integrated learning programs.
By hosting co-op students, you’re not only paying it forward to the next generation of your fellow Concordians and engineers, but also ensuring your company has the exceptional talent it needs to evolve, stay agile and succeed far into the future.
For more information or to discuss how your organization can get involved, please contact Tina Quintanilla, Coordinator, Employer Partnerships, at tina.quintanilla@concordia.ca or 514-848-2424, ext. 3965.
Sincerely,
Graham Carr
President and Vice-Chancellor
