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Many employers who include co-op as a part of their recruitment strategy are doing so to fill employment gaps, access motivated candidates, and create a talent pool for succession planning.

Meet Michaela Gooding, a Technical Writer student who completed her co-op work term at the CRA and was hired full-time after graduating. After completing her undergrad and hearing many positive experiences from recent AC graduates, Michaela decided to apply to Algonquin College in the Technical Writer Co-op program. Michaela’s decision to pursue a college degree after her undergrad resonates with many students:

“After graduating from university in the Spring of 2020, I felt unprepared to enter the job market; having a great amount of theory-based knowledge yet I did not feel prepared to apply it in a practical way to a job.” Many co-op students like Michaela come to Algonquin College to complete their technical training and benefit from the variety of experiential learning opportunities. “I felt hesitant entering a full-time office-based environment, and found the Co-op training and preparation course offered by the college, to be incredibly insightful.”

Michaela’s key responsibilities while working as a co-op student at the CRA included:

• Technical writing for translation of IT Design Documentation to business language
• Translating into plain language for a broader audience for presentations
• Preparing and presenting for a wide audience of stakeholders, and more.

“Michaela was able to carry out with ease and confidence to a wide audience.”

– Manji Pigilam, Acting Project Coordinator, Michaela’s Supervisor at the CRA.

Halfway through her co-op work term, she was offered a permanent position and joined the team full-time after she graduated. This co-op success story is an excellent example of cooperative education working as a recruitment pipeline for Algonquin College employer partners.

Algonquin College nominated Michela for the EWO Co-op Student of the Year Award for her co-op engagement.

Connect with us to get started on hiring an Algonquin College Co-op Student:

https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop-career-centre/hire-a-coop-student/

When we last spoke with eCo-op student Chris Hing in the summer, he was hard at work on his software prototype and was awaiting patent approval. We wanted to inspire other students who perhaps share a similar entrepreneurial side and show how eCo-op can help launch your business idea into the real world.

Chris has been quite busy in these last few months, since graduating from Algonquin College in December, he has been focusing all of his time on VODL, the business idea he worked on during his eCo-op term. For Chris this meant; upgrading the extension, preparing it for publication on the chrome store, reaching out to his eCo-op contacts for support and advice, drafting his proposal for his patent application, designing the logo, and launching the website. On February 14th, he filed for his provisional patent application. Chris is now promoting VODL and can speak to the specifics of the concept he has created.

What is VODL? VODL is a programmatic solution to help online content creators secure their videos from copyright infringement through content synchronization. Essentially, VODL protects YouTube and YouTube Creators from infringing on copyright law.

How does this work? The VODL extension sets a series of trigger points along the timeline of VODL YouTube videos. These trigger points define what and when copyright content is displayed to the viewer. When the VODL YouTube video reaches its first trigger point, copyright content opens and plays in a synchronized window. Other trigger points can be added to define automatic, play events, pause events, seek events, and more.

Chris is excited for the future of VODL: “My goal is to license my patent-pending software to various social media platforms like YouTube.”

Chris has worked hard and fully incorporated the tools at his disposal during his time at Algonquin College, making his journey an experiential learning success story. We wish Chris the best of luck with the next phase of VODL.

Visit the VODL website and watch the Youtube video for more on information:

https://www.vodl.ink/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnNlN0nqZhk

Chris Hing: info@vodl.ink

For more information on eCo-op visit our website:

https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/ecoop/

Nancy is an Office Administration-Executive co-op student currently working as a Co-op Career Leader. Like many Algonquin College co-op students, Nancy brings her newly gained knowledge from her program and experience and skills from a previous career to her co-op work term.

Nancy taught French as a second language to elementary school children, helping them overcome the challenges and barriers that come with learning a new language through play and activities. She also worked for over ten years as an office administrator. “My career started in Botswana as a receptionist, and through my strong determination, excellent communication skills, and commitment to my job, I delivered excellent customer service and was promoted to administrative assistant.” Nancy decided to take her career to the next level and enroll in the Office Administration Executive program at Algonquin College. Her combined experience and interpersonal skills make Nancy a great co-op contact for students.

Nancy’s contribution to the co-op team is key to helping students find success in co-op. As a successful co-op student herself, she provides students with feedback on their resumes, cover letters and conducts mock interviews to help students prepare.

We asked Nancy to offer her key recommendations for a successful co-op job search. Here are her five tips:

1. Whether you have work experience or not, be sure to use examples of the skills you are learning and how you are applying them in class or your schoolwork. Use it to your advantage by applying the technical and transferrable skills you are currently learning.
2. Remain committed throughout the process. Stay informed on key dates and job application rounds, and check HireAC regularly for job postings. Make sure you are conducting a self-directed job search as well.
3. Do your research! Research the organizations you are interested in by reading the mission statements and studying the website.
4. Read the job posting attentively. Tailor your resume and cover letter to the requirements and offer examples.
5. Reflect on your strengths and make them stand out in your resume and cover letter.

If you are a student looking for help securing a co-op job for your upcoming work term, book an appointment with Nancy by logging into HireAC and selecting the “Book an Appointment” option.

Or reach out: coop@algonquincollege.com

These last two years have been challenging for everyone. Not only are we missing out on special occasions, but we are also missing out on the day-to-day interactions that used to make up a regular weekday. Collectively, we are feeling disconnected and for many of us, this is impacting how we work.
As Mental Health Awareness Week at Algonquin College comes to an end we wanted to share a few tips on how to reduce some of the possible stress points around co-op employment.

Searching for jobs can be tough, we’ve all been there.

1. Get started! Plan ahead and block off some time in your week dedicated to getting your resume ready, applying to jobs, or preparing for an interview. If you are in your job search term, make sure you are logging in to HireAC to see the newly posted jobs and conduct a self-directed job search on the side. Read our blog post for tips on finding a co-op job outside of HireAC. And remember, don’t get discouraged, this is a process.
2. If you find yourself procrastinating, ask yourself why. If it’s because you need help, reach out to your co-op student advisor. We have six highly skilled and caring advisors on our team who are here to help.
3. Prepare for your interview. Book an appointment with our team using the appointment booking feature on HireAC. We also have some interview tips for a successful interview from our employers up on the blog that you can read.

Starting a new job comes with its fair share of excitement and pressure.

1. Set healthy and realistic targets. Employers have told us that what they look for the most in their co-op students is their willingness to learn. Have an open mind and ask questions.
2. Manage your workload. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, speak to your co-op supervisor, together you can discuss where you should be focusing your time and energy.
3. Identify and celebrate the small victories throughout your day.
4. Maintain healthy boundaries with work. If you’re working from home, try to have a designated workspace. Take breaks and get moving. You can go for a walk, stand up and stretch.
5. Maintain social connections for a healthy work environment by contributing to the group chat, or reaching out to colleagues and participating in meetings and social activities (yes, even the virtual ones!)

Remember, the Co-op team is here to help you succeed.

Reach out to us at coop@algonquincollege.com for the help you need on your co-op journey!

Algonquin College Resources:

• Counselling Services provides caring, confidential, professional counselling for Algonquin students at no cost. 24/7/365 counselling is also available through the Good2Talk Ontario Helpline at 1-866-925-5454. Students seeking support may contact Algonquin College Counselling welcomecentre@algonquincollege.com
• Substance use resources: https://www.algonquincollege.com/counselling/substance-use-resources/
• Community and college support services:
  • https://www.algonquincollege.com/studentsupportservices/support-students-crisis/
  • https://www.algonquincollege.com/studentsupportservices/mental-health/

Further Reading:

• Stress Management: https://algonquincollege.libguides.com/studyskills/stress-management
• Coping with Stress and Anxiety During COVID-19: https://www.algonquincollege.com/counselling/coping-with-stress-and-anxiety-during-covid-19/
• Tips for Working from Home: https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/2020/03/23/essential-tips-for-working-from-home/
• Tips for Studying from Home: https://www.algonquincollege.com/contenthub/2020/04/08/5-tips-for-studying-from-home/

This highly sought-after, very competitive, and newly added program, has already captured the attention of many local tech companies, and many of our government employer partners are very keen to start hiring from the Cyber Security Analysis program. The first cohort will be working in May 2022.

1. Providing local employers with the latest cyber security skills and knowledge

Algonquin College is now meeting regional demands and helping employers establish their cyber security talent pipelines. Students have already begun putting into practice the following skills:

• Securing networks using Cisco Routers/Switches other IDS/IPS, UTM, and other security appliances.
• Penetration testing fundamentals and digital forensics fundamentals.
• Basic understanding of the tools, methods, and applications of cryptographic capabilities to security mechanisms & controls.
• Cyber incident response fundamentals.
• Security Law & Compliance: good appreciation of laws, regulations, and standards are to be consulted/used in various regions and environments for achieving a strong security posture.
• Business continuity and disaster recovery: good appreciation of how to plan for the worst-case scenario(s) and how to proceed to recover.

2. The benefits of applied learning in the field of cyber security

All courses in this program focus on applied learning with practical activities. The academic curriculum was developed following the Canadian Center for Cyber Security’s (CCCS) curriculum guidelines. Students benefit from the cyber lab at Algonquin College. The lab is equipped with enterprise-grade cyber security hardware/software and high-end workstations with a dedicated vCluster for each student.

Courses in this program include: Threat Management, Traffic Analytics, Vulnerability Management, Security Devices and Appliances, Applied Cryptography, Digital Forensics, Penetration Testing, Cyber Incident Response, Business Continuity, and Disaster Recovery, Students are also required to complete a Capstone Project. Students from this program graduate with an Ontario College Graduate Certificate.

3. Increase your capacity by adding co-op students to your team

Many employers hire co-op students to fill employment gaps on their teams or to work on an assigned project. Co-op is a great way to explore potential new hires.

For more information on the program visit: https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/coop-entry/cyber-security-analysis/

If you would like more information on the program or for help posting a job, please reach out to coop@algonquincollege.com