We’re proud of our co-op students and everything they accomplish—that’s why we hold an annual OPP Co-op Designation Celebration to applaud their hard work. More than 50 co-op students, five deans and associate deans and 20 Co-op and Career staff turned up for this year’s celebration for students in the Optional and Professional Programs (OPP) on March 27, 2013 at the Arbutus/Queenswood room of the Cadboro Commons.

Attendees enjoyed good food and great company before awards were handed out for Co-op Student of the Year for each of the OPP programs. Students were nominated by their employers and coordinators.

Biochemistry and Microbiology student Jenna Ries received the overall UVic Co-op Student of the Year award for all Optional and Professional Programs. She was also named an Association of Co-operative Education 2012 co-op student of the year for all of BC-Yukon.

Congratulations to our 2012 OPP Co-op Students of the Year:

• Anthropology: Justine Drummond
• Biochemistry and Microbiology: Jenna Ries – overall OPP Co-op Student of the Year
• Biology: Andrew Sinstadt
• Chemistry: Phillip Danby
• Earth and Ocean Sciences: Rachelle Sarrazin
• Economics: Justin Ferreira (pictured)
• Environmental Studies: Miranda Maslany
• Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education: Michael Slater
• Fine Arts: Tyler Laing
• Geography: Kelly Forbes
• Health Information Science: Faye Morgan Jones
• Humanities: Nicole Wannamaker
• Law: Marian Foucault
• Physics and Astronomy: Alice Koning
• Political Science: Evan Pivnick
• Psychology: Kayla Amaladas
• Public Administration: Naomi Jehlicka
• Sociology: Paula Flaa

The Science Without Borders (SWB) scholarship program, funded primarily by the Government of Brazil, aims to send 101,000 Brazilian students to study internationally by 2015. In the 2012–13 academic year, the University of Victoria has welcomed 19 senior undergraduate students from Brazilian universities to study and work for a period of one year.

The students are engaged in English language classes as well as academic courses in their fields of study. Each student’s scholarship to UVic also allows for a 4-month co-op work term with a Canadian employer. With the help of staff from the Co-operative Education Program and Career Services (Co-op and Career), several students have already been placed for summer co-op work terms—from research opportunities with UVic professors to industry positions in Greater Victoria.

"Having access to resources such as résumé and cover letter workshops, mock interviews and co-op coordinator assistance made me feel confident when applying for jobs,” says Juliana Dutra, a Brazilian psychology student recently placed at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. “The knowledge I acquired will be useful when I go back to Brazil."

Here on campus, Brazilian students will assist professors in a range of disciplines this summer. Chemistry student Thaisa Correa de Sousa will be working in the laboratory of Dr. Alexandre Brolo, focusing on chemical synthesis and working with RAMAN spectroscopy. In the Department of Psychology, Victor Duran will assist Dr. Mauricio Garcia-Barrera to apply Item Response Theory analysis to some of the items on his Executive Functions testing battery, the INTERACT. In the Department of Engineering, Raphael de Lima Mendes will be assisting Dr. Xiaodai Dong with an android application that monitors a portable electrocardiogram using Bluetooth technology.

“The support from the international office and especially the co-op office was fundamental to prepare me to study and find a co-op job here in Canada,” says Mendes. “Professor Dr. Xiaodai Dong’s research and my own objectives are convergent, so I am really looking forward to working this summer at UVic.”

Off campus, earth and ocean sciences student Isabela Coutinho will be working with Purple Rock Inc., a Victoria-based geological information management company founded by UVic alumna Nicole Barlow. "I'm eager to start my work term,” says Coutinho. “It's going to be an incredible learning experience—not only putting in motion all I've learned so far, but also getting to see what Canada's geology is all about!"

To learn more about Science Without Borders or to hire a Brazilian student to help with your research this summer, please contact Co-op and Career international coordinator Karima Ramji at ramjik@uvic.ca or 250-721-6076.

PICTURED, L–R: Isabela Coutinho, Raphael de Lima Mendes, Selen Sousa, Juliana Silva and Victor Riccio Duran are five of the 19 SWB students currently attending UVic.

UVic's Career Ambassador Program (CAP) is looking for student volunteers for Fall/Spring 2012–2013! If you want to gain valuable skills while working one-on-one with other students as they explore their career development, you could have what it takes to become a career ambassador (CA)!

Apply to become a CA by August 10, 2013.

What do career ambassadors do?

Our career ambassadors' main role is to help other UVic students with résumés, cover letters, interview skills and job search support. They are a student team working with Co-op and Career staff. They also sometimes help out at Co-op and Career events and promote the Career Ambassador Program to students on campus.

What's required of a career ambassador?

As a career ambassador, you'll volunteer 4 to 6 hours per week right here on campus in the Career Services main office (Campus Services Building, room 110 – next to the Bookstore). You'll provide one-on-one feedback to students who drop in to chat about their career development, plus you'll help promote Career Services on campus.

Is there training involved?

Yes, you'll train with the other career ambassadors over the summer to become prepared for the Fall/Spring 2012–2013 season. You'll learn lots about career development, which you can also apply to your own career journey!

How do you apply?

Apply to become a CA by August 10, 2013. On this page, you'll also find more information and can read current CA profiles.

On March 8, 2013, UVic's Peter B. Gustavson School of Business partnered with UBC's Sauder School of Business and SFU's Beedie School of Business to host the 9th annual Business Career Expo, BC’s largest business-only career fair.

For the Chartered Accountants and Certified Management Accountants of BC, the event was an opportunity to spread the word about a new accounting designation—one that will soon become the preeminent program in Canada when it launches later this year.

The new Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation is the result of a forthcoming merger between two existing accounting designations, the Chartered Accountants (CA) and the Certified Management Accountants (CMA).

“The CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP) will take the best elements of the existing programs to create a flexible program that will be internationally recognized,” says Katie Hensrud, business development officer at CMA. “Students will come out of CPA PEP with an excellent understanding of all facets of business—they will be well-rounded individuals and business leaders, well equipped to work in both public practice and in industry.”

Hensrud and her colleague Jennifer Weintraub, CA recruiter, were present at the Business Career Expo 2013 to answer students’ questions on the new designation and raise awareness about the forthcoming merger.

“The merger is particularly exciting for students in their final year, as they have the chance to become the first graduates of the new program,” says Weintraub. “The CPA PEP is the best program that could possibly have been built here in Canada. As the CPA is the largest accounting designation in the world, students will be getting a designation that is respected and transferable both across Canada and internationally.”

CPA Canada will also offer a Prerequisite Education Program for students who did not major in Accounting in their undergraduate degree. The program will ensure that all participating students have the knowledge and prerequisites to tackle the CPA program, regardless of their background.

For more information on the new CPA programs in British Columbia, visit www.bccpa.ca or the Become a CA Facebook page.

Story adapted from UBC Sauder School of Business

The 2012 Annual Report has arrived! 

The University of Victoria celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, coinciding with the 36th anniversary of the UVic Co-op Program. This special 50th anniversary edition of our Annual Report showcases the highlights of our history as well as our most recent year.

Highlights of statistics for 2011–12

• The UVic Co-op Program made 2,807 student co-op placements, increasing 6.04% over last year.
• 979 different employer organizations hired UVic co-op students.
• The average co-op salary was $2,787 for undergraduate students and $3,575 for graduate students.
• A total of 15,671 users were active in the Co-op and Career portal, including 11,336 UVic students.

Sections included in Annual Report

• The year in numbers: 2011–12 statistics
• Service and resource growth
• Program updates
• Audience outreach
• International development
• Accreditation and membership activities
• UVic 50th Anniversary feature: Co-op and Career through the years
• Looking towards 2013

The Co-op and Career Annual Report is published early each year to provide stakeholders with a comprehensive overview of the preceding year's activities. 

For a hard copy of the report, please contact Vanessa Stofer, communications officer.

Co-op students of the year celebrated

In late November 2012, three outstanding students were named Co-op Students of the Year by their respective co-op program areas.

Jason Deglint (electrical engineering) is Co-op Student of the Year for Engineering, Computer Science and Math. Deglint has worked with Research in Motion and recently completed an international work term with aerospace company NLR Amsterdam, a placement he initiated himself out of his desire to work in the Netherlands as a first-generation Dutch-Canadian. “Jason quickly adapted to the Netherlands and the NLR organization, showed initiative in his work ethic and executed his project within the limited timeframe,” says supervisor Gerald Poppinga. “His project resulted in many recommendations that will contribute to future work at NLR.”

Jenna Ries (biochemistry) is Co-op Student of the Year for Optional and Professional Programs. She has completed work terms with the National Research Council of Canada and the BC Cancer Agency Deeley Research Centre, where she worked on a project investigating novel drug combinations for targeted therapy of ovarian cancer and co-authored two papers in the peer-reviewed scientific journals Autophagy (Landes Bioscience) and The Journal of Pathology (Wiley Publishing). “Jenna’s work made it possible for us to publish our findings in a short period of time, which undoubtedly helped to raise the profile of our research both regionally and internationally,” says supervisor Dr. Julian J. Lum of the BC Cancer Agency. “I would rank her performance, productivity and contribution in the top 5% of all students at her career stage.”

Wyle Baoween (MBA) is Co-op Student of the Year for Business. During his summer 2012 co-op work term as a strategy analyst with Seaspan Marine Corporation, he worked to restructure the company’s pricing strategy. “Wyle was able to create an understandable ‘story’ of where we are and presented his findings to the Seaspan management team thoughtfully and professionally, earning tremendous respect from all in the boardroom,” says supervisor Steve Roth. “His contribution to a critical component of our strategic plan will have a positive impact for years to come.”

Co-op Students of the Year are nominated by their employers and supervisors. The winners will be recognized at the Co-op and Career Employer Appreciation Reception on February 26, 2013 in Victoria, and a video showcasing their experiences will be published on our YouTube channel.

Norah McRae, executive director of UVic's Co-operative Education Program and Career Services, has been named President of the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE). She kicked off her tenure by hosting the CAFCE AGM at UVic on November 17, followed by a diversity conference attended by co-op institutions from across Canada. Seventy-seven Canadian post-secondary institutions are active members of CAFCE, which strives to foster and advance post-secondary co-operative education in Canada. McRae will serve as CAFCE president until November 2012.

UVic biochemistry co-op student Katelynn Coutts made the front page of the Penticton Western News during her work term at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Summerland this week.

Biochemistry student Britney Allen became the 60,000^th co-op student to secure a co-op work term when she was hired by Science Venture to work as a science/technology camp instructor this summer.

“Britney is one of more than 20,000 students who have pursued a co-op degree at UVic,” says Norah McRae, executive director of UVic’s Co-operative Education Program and Career Services. “Since 1976, co-op students have completed 15,000 years of work and have earned $600,000,000.”

“Co-op plays a major role here on campus and in our communities—by alternating their academic studies with paid work terms related to their area of study, co-op students put their learning in motion, gain valuable hands-on experience and contribute to the economy, while employers benefit from short-term assistance and often use co-op as a recruitment tool.”

One in four UVic students participate in co-op and more than 2,600 placements are completed each year. In 2010, 1163 different employers hired UVic co-op students in 2010 and 48% hired more than one student. Seventy-four per cent of placements were made in BC, while 19% were made across the rest of Canada and 6.8% were made internationally. Placements were generally balanced between the private and public sector.

UVic’s Co-op Program was established in 1976 in the Departments of Chemistry and Physics. The program secured 58 placements in its first year; today it includes 13 co-op offices that provide opportunities for students in 47 academic areas. The program is indebted to Graham Branton, its longest-service director who dedicated 17 years to the development of UVic Co-op.

Innovative, ambitious and eager to make an impact—these are the qualities shared by three extraordinary students who were recognized for their outstanding work ethic, initiative and engagement after being selected 2010 Co-op Students of the Year by their respective Co-operative Education Program and Career Services offices.

Electrical engineering student Benjamin Taylor was named the Co-op Student of the Year for Engineering and Computer Science/Math Co-op and Career. Taylor spent a work term working for UVic electrical engineering professor Dr. Tao Lu, where he helped set up a laser to create tiny doughnut-shaped cavities on a silicon chip. These cavities can potentially be used to create high-precision clocks and may even been applied to biological research. Ben’s project would usually take a graduate student two months to complete; Ben completed the project in one month.

Biochemistry and microbiology student Chelsey Lane received the Co-op Student of the Year award for co-op’s Optional and Professional Programs group. Lane spent eight months working as a co-op student with UVic professor Dr. Alexandre Brolo, during which time she helped developed gold nanoparticle probes to help monitor cancer treatment. She was selected to share some of the lab’s research at the Rising Starts of Research undergraduate poster competition at UBC and won second prize in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology category.

MBA student Jay Gillette spent a work term as a strategy analyst with the Department of National Defence (CFB Esquimalt). His tasks included developing a performance reporting system to improve office practices related to customer service, resource application and program delivery. Gillette’s supervisor Michael Morrison considered him such an integral member of the team that he was invited to work on the organization’s 2011/2012 business plan.

Co-op students of the year are nominated by their employers and co-op supervisors. See this story on The Ring website.