Co-op and career support for Indigenous students

If you're an Indigenous co-op student, you may be able to travel to Australia to take part in a unique Indigenous co-op exchange (as part of our unique Indigenous International Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Exchange Program). You'll complete a work term that connects you to Indigenous people and communities in Australia, while Indigenous students will travel to Victoria to take part in UVic's LE,NONET program and complete a community internship. Partner institutions include:

• University of Newcastle (UON) in Australia for a co-op work term with the Wollotuka Institute (this exchange is facilitated thanks to funding through the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship (QE) program)
• Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia
• RMIT in Melbourne, Australia

Hear from students who have taken part:

Curious about career options? Want to practice your interview skills? Attend the Career Fair and Mock Interview Clinic for Indigenous Students to:

• learn about career and co-op opportunities available to Indigenous students
• network with company representatives and ask questions

This event is held in the fall and spring.

Why take part in the event?

LE,NONET (pronounced "le-nong-it") is a SENĆOŦEN word that literally means "paddling a canoe in a storm and making it through to the other side". In a more figurative sense, LE,NONET can also be taken to mean "success after enduring many hardships."

The LE,NONET Community Internship (IS 321) is 120 hours of work experience carried out in an Indigenous community or organization of the student's choice. Students must complete the IS 310 Preparation Seminar pre-requisite with a B+ (77%) or higher in order to register for this.

A series of resources for Indigenous students and employers hiring Indigenous students has been developed as part of the ACE-WIL Indigenous Resource Hub.

You can find resources to help you:

• Navigate the process of self-locating and self-identifying
• Determine what questions might be useful to ask employers
• Interpret job postings and assess empoyers
• Create tailored résumés and cover letters

The CanWork program supports undergraduate students who identify as having a disability or mental health challenge to gain paid work experience. The program is open to students in these co-op programs:

• Computer Science
• Exercise, Physical and Health Education
• Health Information Science
• Humanities and Fine Arts
• Science
• Social Sciences

Who can apply

Through this funding, Indigenous community organizations may be eligible for a wage subsidy to cover a portion of cost of hiring a co-op student for a co-op work term (up to a maxiumum $5,000).

Half of the funding will be provided to the employer at the end of the first month of the work term. The rest of the funding will be provided after the employer has completed the final competency assessment.

If you know an Indigenous community organization that may be interested in applying for the funding to hire you for a co-op work term, connect with your co-op coordinator to discuss.

How to apply

• Indigenous community organizations must work with their UVic co-op coordinator to review the guidelines and discuss eligibility (outlined on the application form)
• If eligible, Indigenous community organizations must complete complete the application form together with their co-op coordinator
• The co-op coordinator will submit the application for consideration

When to apply

The application deadline varies for each term.

• January - April work terms: 4:30 p.m. on November 1
  
• May - August work terms: 4:30 p.m. on March 1
  
• September - December work terms: 4:30 p.m. on July 1
  

Who qualifies?

Students who are selected to participate in the Indigenous International Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Exchange Program may be eligible to receive up to $10,000 in travel funding support.

How to apply

No separate funding application is required—we’ll contact you if you're selected for this award after securing an international work term through this exchange program.

Co-op offers many culturally relevant work opportunities that will help you gain experience and build your technical, professional and community-based skills. Our employers include large companies, government ministries, organizations that impact Indigenous communities, and community-based groups, such as community organizations and tribal councils. You can also apply to any other co-op jobs you're interested in.

You can also work with our Indigenous co-op coordinator to develop a customized position in your own community or with a particular employer you're interested in.

Many students balance their academic degrees with family responsibilities. Co-op supports you in many ways:

• a part-time parallel co-op option if you're a part-time student
• individual support from your co-op coordinator
• competitive salaries for co-op students
• a co-op preparation course to develop your career-related skills