Students

On Sept. 2, 2025, aligned with the events of AC Day 1, the Co-op & Career Centre hosted an Open House! This event welcomed students new to co-op programs, offering them a chance to explore the wide range of co-op resources available to support their career development and boost their professional profiles.

The Open House was more than just an introduction — it was a networking opportunity where students connected with the co-op employees and began building the relationships that will help shape their future success.

A big thank you to everyone who stopped by! We’re committed to creating more spaces that empower students to grow, connect, and thrive in their career journeys.

Visit the Co-op & Career Centre website to learn more.

On March 25, aspiring entrepreneurs from Algonquin College participated in an exclusive mentorship session with members of the Capital Angel Network (CAN), Ottawa’s largest network of early-stage investors. The session was part of a larger event that marked CAN’s official return to campus, as they hosted their members’ meeting at Algonquin College for the first time in many years. Held in Nawapon and the DARE District Incubator, the gathering brought together seasoned investors and members of the College community in a space designed to spark conversation, collaboration and opportunity.

The mentorship session itself was intimate in nature, with approximately ten participants—including student founders, faculty, employees and administrators—invited to share their early-stage ventures and innovation projects. The session was led by two distinguished CAN members: David A. Hayes, a seasoned global technology investor and board member of the Capital Angel Network, and Marc-Antoine Ruel, the owner of fghbuild, specializing in infrastructure observability and engineering productivity consulting.

David and Marc-Antoine offered practical insights and fostered an open dialogue that made the session a dynamic and empowering experience for all involved. They emphasized the importance of networking and timing—underscoring how critical it is to connect with the right partners and enter the market at just the right moment.

At the heart of the discussion was the role of investors in shaping the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Participants explored what it means to be investor-ready, the complexities of giving up equity, when and how to pursue patents and how intentional investment decisions can support long-term growth—not just short-term traction.

This mentorship session—and the broader return of the Capital Angel Network to campus—reflects a shared commitment to creating meaningful spaces for innovation, learning and entrepreneurial growth. A sincere thank you to CAN for inspiring our student entrepreneurs and reigniting a powerful connection with Algonquin College. Together, we’re building a stronger, more connected future for entrepreneurship in the National Capital Region.

On June 27, Innovation & Entrepreneurship held the third edition of the ACTIVATE Pitch Championships, where the top teams from the Winter 2025 Entrepreneurship Co-op (eCo-op) cohort pitched their tech and tech-enabled ventures to a panel of judges from both industry and the College community. This term, the presenters set out to tackle problems ranging from student quality of life to property management to telecommunications.

The winning team received a non-dilutive grant startup grant, provided by FedDev Ontario through a partnership between Algonquin College and Invest Ottawa. This funding will help the winner officially launch their business and, hopefully, set them up for lifelong success on their terms.

The winner of ACTIVATE for Summer 2025 was L&lord, an all-in-one platform designed to help small landlords and property managers centralize and automate their business processes. Imarni Odongo, a student in the Bachelor of Technology, Business Systems Development, will have the opportunity to work with Invest Ottawa to bring her venture to market.

“Although we saw students competing today, ACTIVATE is about way more than a pitch competition,” said Stephen Gagné, Entrepreneurship Officer at Algonquin College. “It’s about giving students a chance to build something amazing on their terms. It’s about celebrating the ups and downs of the entrepreneur’s journey. And, more than anything, it’s about giving our Learners a place to test the skills their programs teach them in a real-world context.”

The ACTIVATE Pitch Championships were the culmination of weeks of hard work from AC Learners who not only grew as future professionals in their field but also as entrepreneurs. Ultimately, ACTIVATE serves as living proof of the value of learner-driven experiential learning and the many ways Algonquin College helps set Learners up for lifelong success.

For an Algonquin College co-op student, HireAC is an excellent, effective, and key platform for job searches. However, the opportunities on HireAC are still limited, especially during the pandemic. For the students struggling to find co-op work placements, it’s insufficient to rely solely on HireAC. Other platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, the Government of Canada Summer Jobs, the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP), and Outcome Campus Connect are excellent ways to apply and secure placements. The following tips introduce these platforms and provide instructions for students.

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a convenient platform for job searching and professional networks. Your LinkedIn profile shows your educational and professional experiences, connect you with industrial peers and potential employers, and help companies find you. Once you set up your LinkedIn profile, the platform will automatically recommend jobs for you based on your profile. Also, your connections on LinkedIn can offer you inspirations and opportunities. You can also search for companies you are interested in.

2. Indeed

Indeed has abundant job listing resources worldwide. It aggregates job listings from thousands of recruitment websites and company webpages. Students can search for specific positions based on their needs, such as location, job title, salary range, etc. The website offers a comprehensive listing that shows all available results from specific keywords, levels of experiences, and industry field. Once you store your resume, it will become searchable for the hiring managers. You can also check out the reviews on the company web pages from Indeed.

3. Government of Canada Summer Jobs

The Canada Summer Jobs program is an excellent opportunity for youths between the ages of 15 and 30 who are Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons whom refugee protection has been conferred. This program provides full-time work experiences from May to August in Canada for a minimum of 6 weeks. Students looking for a Spring/Summer co-op can apply directly from the Government of Canada’s Job Bank website.

4. Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP)

You are eligible to apply for the Federal Student Work Experience Program if you meet the following criteria: You are a full-time student. You are a returning full-time student. You meet the minimum age requirement in the province/territory of work. If you are an international student, you could also apply for this program. Visit the Government of Canada’s website to apply for FSWEP jobs. After you submit your application, your resume is placed in the Government of Canada’s student inventory. When there are job openings hiring managers will search through this inventory and if your application matches the manager’s search criteria, you may be contacted for a test and/or interview. Over 8000 students were hired through FSWEP from 2018-2019.

5. Outcome Campus Connect

Outcome Campus Connect is an alternative source of job opportunities that you can view directly on HireAC. The College has partnered with the Outcome Campus Connect, a job posting service in collaboration with Magnet and Orbis, to assist the matching of working integrated learning experiences between students and employers. The job opportunities on Outcome Campus Connect are not vetted by the Co-op Department. So you’ll need to make sure that the jobs you applied to satisfy the criteria required for a valid co-op job (paid, full-time hours, and related to your program-of-study). You can access the job postings by logging on to HireAC, going to the ‘Co-op Job Postings’ page, and clicking the link ‘Outcome Campus Connect Opportunities’ at the bottom of the page.