Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan (centre) with Judith Hall, BCIT Cooperative Education Coordinator (left) and Muriel Klemetski, director of Work Integrated Learning at Simon Fraser University (right).
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan made a special proclamation on Monday, March 21, acknowledging the valuable role that co-operative education plays in post-secondary education. He presented Judith Hall, BCIT Cooperative Education Coordinator, and Muriel Klemetski, director of Work Integrated Learning at Simon Fraser University with a City of Burnaby Proclamation, which is now displayed in the Centre for Workplace Education (CWE).
More than 25 BC municipalities are celebrating the impact of experiential learning on their communities during this, National Co-op Week, March 21 – 25, 2011. Cities from all regions of the province have proclaimed National Co-op Week after being contacted by the Association for Co-operative Education in British Columbia/Yukon (ACE). ACE is a provincial organization representing co-op educators and practitioners from many of the post-secondary institutions across BC and is part of the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE), a national association that supports co-op programming in Canada. Each year CACE holds a National Co-op Week campaign to promote awareness of co-operative education.
Co-op connects post-secondary students with paid work experiences related to their fields of study. Thousands of BC students take part annually in co-op programs by alternating their academic semesters with terms at work for employers in BC, across Canada and around the world. These experiences help students invest in their local, regional and world communities. Co-op education is recognized as an effective means to support post-secondary learning while providing students with valuable hands-on experience.
Judith Hall with Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.
A January 2010 Ipsos Reid report on the impact of co-op in Canadian post-secondary education found that 83% of co-op students felt that co-op helped improve their integration into the work place and assisted with their academic learning. Co-op graduates traditionally earn higher salaries compared with students who do not take part in co-op.
“We know how valuable co-op can be to students, and to our communities,” says Stuart Billings, President of ACE. “We hear from our students about how co-op has helped shape their career goals and we hear from employers about the ways that co-op helps them recruit the strongest candidates and brings a fresh perspective to their organizations. Co-op continues to be a dependable investment—everyone benefits.”
For details about National Co-op Week, please visit www.co-op.bc.ca.
