Backgrounder: Graduating with a game plan: UVic co-op students reach 85,000 placements

History of the UVic Co-op Program

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 there are 13 co-op offices across the university that provide opportunities for students in almost every academic area. Those areas without co-op opportunities provides practica, internship and other hands-on learning experiences.

The program is indebted to Graham Branton, its longest-serving director who dedicated 17 years to the development of UVic’s co-operative education program.

Notable numbers: placements, salaries and impact

• Since 1976, co-op students have completed 28,000 years of work and have earned $873,600,000 (based on averaged salaries over time)
• Close to 4,200 placements are made each year (about 6,000 students enroll in co-op programming each year), with 749 (18%) for international students and 59 (1.4%) for self-identified Indigenous students
• International placements are on the rise: 365 co-op placements took place outside Canada in 2017/18, including unique exchange opportunities with post-secondary and industry partners
• UVic has the broadest offering of co-op programs in Canada (51 academic programs, encompassing 277 distinct programs of study)
• UVic has the largest graduate co-op program in Canada
• Almost 50 per cent of undergraduate students take part in co-op (of those students who are eligible for a co-op program)
• In 2017/18:
  • 749 international students completed work terms with Canadian and international employers last year
  • 1,350 employers hired UVic co-op students
  • 28 per cent of co-op placements were research-focused

Support for Indigenous students

• UVic is home to the only dedicated Indigenous co-op program in the world, including an experiential and community learning coordinator who works closely with Indigenous communities
• We offer a unique Indigenous-to-Indigenous international co-op exchange program with universities in Australia
• In 2017/18, 59 Indigenous students completed work terms, including placements with culturally relevant organizations in Victoria, across Canada and internationally