“There are several other co-op students working at the base, so this was the perfect chance to get to know them and also to get a tour of one of the larger ships,” says Bada. “CFB Esquimalt also invited several staff members from UVic, including President Turpin, which was something that I wasn’t expecting.” During the trip, she was also able to challenge her photography skills to capture unique photos of the day’s adventure.

This event was just one of several co-op student-centric initiatives that Bada has enjoyed during her work term. Her job involves researching and writing about mental health services in the community and on base, to help base employees find resources when needed, but she has also been able to liaise with other co-op students and learn from their projects as well. “There’s another co-op student in the office next door, who’s working on a base newsletter covering workplace safety, so we often share ideas and critique each other’s work, plus I’ve been able to keep on top of safety news,” she says. “I’ve also been able to take a class on business writing, web design, Excel, and PowerPoint, all tailored to unique communications styles used at DND. My classmates are about 20 co-op students who are also working on the base.”

Bada’s main project for the co-op term is a total redesign of the employee assistance section of the DND website. She attended training and meetings to learn guidelines and procedures for web site maintenance at DND. She says it is the first time she’s worked on a “real” web site, and produced posters and manuals for such a large audience. She says the job offers a lot of opportunities for a student to gather needs from real users of the web site, and try new ways of sharing information among employees.

Bada has also had the opportunity to attend training in suicide prevention and conflict resolution, two topics that are strongly valued at DND Human Resources. She has been impressed with the opportunities provided by DND, as well as the wide range of job types. “It’s really a community and everyone’s ideas are welcomed. I feel like this is an employer that would support me in whatever career I pursue.”

Bada has appreciated the opportunity to develop several of her core competencies, including teamwork, and research and analysis. She was asked to take the lead of an employment equity communications project, and says that she frequently sees opportunities to expand her critical thinking skills. “I’ve worked with other co-op students and supervisors to develop employee assistance resources, and I’ve learned how to take every viewpoint into account while producing posters, manuals. On the research side, I’ve needed to assess different resources to determine what will be the most effective for the employee. In the end, I’ve been very fortunate and have enjoyed every minute of my work term.”