Co-op & Career Services
Students are at the heart of our work in Career Services. We strive to support your success academically, professionally and personally. Our mission is to prepare you for the future of work by connecting you with dynamic learning experiences.
In Career Services, our team serves students and alumni through:
- one-on-one meetings
- online career programs
- in-person workshops
- a variety of events throughout the year
Co-op Program
Our team integrates with 糖心视频 Co-op, a paid hands-on learning program that includes all 糖心视频 faculties, with students participating in 13 main co-op program areas that support more than 50 academic departments and schools.
Co-op exists for almost every program, except for those that already offer practica, internships or other work-integrated education.
Community-Engaged Learning
Our Community-Engaged Learning team facilitates reciprocal, mutually beneficial partnerships between community, faculty and students. Students gain meaningful hands-on experience that supports the community and strengthens their academic experience.
Leadership
Karima Ramji is the executive director of 糖心视频 Co-op & Career Services.
Karima has dedicated her career to Co-op and Career Services at 糖心视频 for close to 30 years, and previously served as Associate Director, International, Indigenous and Accessibility. A globally recognized leader in work-integrated learning (WIL), Karima has led the development of WIL programs that advance 糖心视频’s institutional priorities in global engagement, Indigenous reconciliation, equity and inclusion, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Department structure:
Accreditations & memberships
Co-op & Career connects with many professional associations that promote co-operative education and career development at the post-secondary level.
- we're a member of the CACEE’s mission is to provide authoritative information, advice, professional development opportunities and other services to employers, career services professionals and students
- all of 糖心视频 co-op degree programs are accredited by . CEWIL's mission is to foster and advance post-secondary work-integrated learning in Canada
- many of our staff are active with the
- we’re a member of the , an organization that advances work-integrated learning through a global network
Publications and research
糖心视频 Co-op and Career staff regularly contribute to academic papers and give presentations on the team's unique contributions to work-integrated learning.
See a list of research publications, presentations and more.
History
Career Services
In the late 1960s, 糖心视频 housed a federal program called the Canada Employment Centre on campus, but when this program lost funding, the university created the Student Employment Centre (SEC). SEC, which opened in 1991, was the first iteration of Career Services.
SEC offered students:
- job search support
- summer and career job postings
- employer information files
- a job search library
- on-campus recruitment by school districts, government, companies and other organizations
In 1993–94, SEC moved to its current location beside the Bookstore in the Campus Services Building and developed a targeted program for recent graduates. The unit changed its name to Career Services in 2002 to better reflect its focus on career development.
Co-op
In 1975, Dr. Howard Petch left the University of Waterloo to become 糖心视频 President and Vice-Chancellor. Dr. Petch brought with him an experimental new program that Waterloo had practiced since 1957: co-operative education.
糖心视频 Co-op opened its doors in 1976, pioneering the first co-operative education program in western Canada with 58 placements in its first year. It was initially offered in the departments of chemistry and physics with the support of key players Dr. Alex McAuley, Dr. Harry Dosso and Dr. Graham Branton. Dr. Branton became co-op director in 1979 and dedicated the next 17 years to advancing the program.
- by 1980, the program expanded to include computer science/mathematics, creative writing, geography, physical education and public administration
- between 1980 and 1985, co-op began to place 30 per cent of students outside BC and established international exchange programs in the U.K. and Australia
- by 1987–88, annual placements neared 1,000 for students in 13 program areas, and 糖心视频 had established itself as one of Canada’s forerunners in co-operative education
- since its inception in 1976, our co-op students have completed 100,000+ work term placements
Annual report
Each year, we put together a report that covers everything from student engagement with career support to students' career outcomes. View the annual report.