Launching co-op in Perth marked by an employer breakfast in the BIRL
Posted on Wednesday, October 16th, 2019
Excited employers filled the Building Innovation Research Lab (BIRL) on Tuesday, October 8 to learn about the co-op portion of Algonquin College’s Business – Agriculture program in Perth which launched in September of 2019.
“There was quite a bit of interest coming from the industry for an agriculture program after the University of Guelph’s Kemptville campus closure,” saif professor and program coordinator, Martin Savard, during the breakfast event. “Not having agriculture grads in recent years has created employment gaps in Eastern Ontario. Not only did the industry come to us about creating the program but they have provided a lot of direction on how the program should be run.”
Local agriculture employers had a large role in building and launching this program and are anxious to have co-op students and grads available to hire from Algonquin College after the area’s loss of Guelph’s Kemptville campus and Associate Diploma in Agriculture program in recent years.
Savard explained that “industry told us they want business to be a major component of the program.” In the program, and before the students start their co-op they will learn the basics of communication, marketing, finance, human resources and project management. “We’ve also worked closely with employers in the area to provide integrated learning experiences with local producers as industry partners, providing students with agricultural demonstrations and workshops throughout their program,” Savard said.
Students in the Business – Agriculture program will be half-way through their program at the time of co-op and will be able to bring business fundamentals as well as agriculture concepts such as like livestock and crop management, equipment purchasing practices, government regulations, and more, to their co-op job.
“Our employers tell us that they are using co-op to grow their future workforce”, says David Hall, Manager of Cooperative Education at Algonquin College. “Hiring a student from an Algonquin College co-op program helps to create a talent pool for future long-term hires and to set-up a succession plan for the future.” The co-op department facilitates all co-op hiring for employers and industry partners including: helping to write the job description, arranging interviews and extending the job offers.
Cooperative Education at Algonquin College is a partnership involving students, employers and the college that provides students with full-time and paid work experience in four-month blocks that complement’s their in-class training. Algonquin College is currently accepting job postings for students enrolled in the Business – Agriculture program. Students in this program will start their co-op work term in May 2020.
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