The one person most responsible for the 20-year success story of the University of Ottawa’s co-op program is current director Carmen Poulin. Today, some 3,400 students, hailing from 37 different academic disciplines, take part in the co-op education program, making it the second-largest in Ontario. Impressive considering that it all started with only three work terms for mathematics students.
University rector Gilles Patry is proud of the program’s success. “With more than 500 employers from both the private and public sectors, the student placement rate averaged 98 per cent in the last two years,” Patry notes. “The success of the program, he says is the result of Carmen’s leadership, initiatives and vision.”
Poulin is quick to recognize however the major role played by the former director of co-op, Henri Wong. “Back in 1983, Poulin recalls, professors were running the program out of the goodness of their hearts. But Henri Wong helped establish us as an academic program, rather than a strictly administrative one. And I simply followed in his footsteps.”
“When I came on board in 1983, I saw the potential to reach so many more students. I believed co-operative education could become an important aspect of this University and I’ve tried to make it an option for as many bright and hard-working students as possible.”
“For me, it was just as important to expand the breadth of programs offered as it was to increase the number of students enrolled. People are still surprised that we have successful programs in disciplines such as history, English, lettres françaises, sociology and translation.”
According to Poulin, the University of Ottawa was the first school in Canada to give academic credits for co-op work terms.
“Our job posting criteria is very stringent and each and every job is evaluated before posting. We also do on-site visits to make sure students are doing what they are supposed to and that they are happy with their work experience. Faculties also play a vital role in the development of programs.”
Looking ahead, Poulin is confident the co-op program will be able to accommodate the double cohort students, who will start registering in the program at the end of next year. “We have revamped all materials and services. The students are younger and less experienced now and we have to prepare them to obtain the type of jobs that will suit them.”
Single work-placement project laid foundation for co-op program
