Co-op Week Coffee Break brews high-octane interest

Approximately 1,300 students are currently enrolled in co-op programs at Concordia, and the work terms they do earn them more than a total of $5,000,000 per year. That, plus the on-the-job experience and knowledge they take back to class are all great reasons to celebrate.

 

The Co-op Week Coffee Break was open to all members of the Concordia community. Some came for a bite of cake and some for the coffee. Everyone was interested in the Student Showcase poster display, and no one left without taking the time to chat with co-op student volunteers, staff and faculty.

 

Ollivier Dyens, vice-provost, Teaching and Learning, was there to cut the cake and lend his support. “Experiential learning is one of the most important things we do at Concordia,” he said.

 

Henry Hong, academic program director for the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering co-op programs, agrees. “Our students really mature during their work terms. They go out into the real world and a real work environment.” 

 

Civil engineering student Ahmed Youssef enjoyed the social aspect of the event and said, “I like socializing. I connected with some of the advisors and got to know them a little better. I was also glad to learn more about their experiences.” Youssef is in the industrial experience option and will be participating in a special program in Washington, D.C. this summer. His plan is to finish his engineering degree and tackle an MBA. 

 

Sara Samie from the actuarial mathematics co-op joked that she came for the food. In fact, this senior student volunteered for the event, is a co-op mentor, and will start her fourth and final work term in May.  Samie said, “I enjoyed my work term experiences. Now I know what I like, and what I don’t like.” 

 

Other student volunteers, all of them members of the co-op mentorship program, included Janet Kar, Shama Khalid and Nara Van Rossum. Volunteers Alice Xun and Jing Jing Yan were mentors, student showcase participants and alumni. 

 

When classes ended in the early afternoon, there was a rush of students who wanted to know more about co-op. One was a mechanical engineering student who started in January. His friends are in co-op and they told him he needed to learn more. Co-op staff Lynn Bergeron, coordinator of administrative services, and Leslie Hughes, assistant to the director, explained the differences between co-op and industrial experience programs, as well as the many advantages of being involved with the institute. Bergeron says, “These students just need to call us and we’ll help them in any way we can.”

 

Gerry Hughes, director of the Institute for Co-operative Education, summed up his view of the event. “The whole point of today was to bring our co-op and Concordia community together. I am really thrilled with the turnout. I’ve talked with co-op students, non-co-op students, representatives from our academic programs, visitors from other departments, and I’ve had the chance to answer a lot of questions. The word is getting around.”

 

• Institute for Co-operative Education

• Canadian Association for Co-operative Education

• National Co-operative Education Week