Employer Responsibilities
The Co-op Work Term
The main responsibilities during a co-op work term will be initiated by the student. At certain points, students will check in with the direct supervisor to review or request information. The main components of the co-op work term include:
Learning Objectives
Students will set learning goals and share these with the supervisor during the first five weeks of employment.
Work Term Visit
A co-op coordinator will be in touch to schedule an online or in-person work term visit. For locations outside of Ontario, online or phone meetings or e-mail communication will likely take place. The meeting is normally 30 minutes with the supervisor to discuss student responsibilities and performance to-date, followed by 30 minutes with the student to discuss progress, review feedback and co-op requirements for the remainder of the term.
Work Term Report
Students submit a work term report to their co-op faculty advisor. Work term requirements vary by program. Employers may be asked to sign off on the report, prior to submission on-campus. Your feedback, in addition to addressing issues of confidentiality, is important.
Work Performance Evaluation
Supervisors will receive an e-mail with an embedded link to the student’s Co-op Work Performance Evaluation during the last month of the work term. Supervisors will be asked to provide feedback on the student’s performance and to provide an overall word grading which is recorded on the student’s official transcript. The performance evaluation is also available in pdf format. *Students and supervisors are encouraged to use this form as a work sheet throughout the work term. To view all forms pertaining to the "Co-op Work Term", click here.
Employers will often build the following into each work term:
- Appropriate training and orientation to the position and organization
- Regular meetings with the co-op student to discuss responsibilities and work performance
- Opportunities for students to obtain career information and guidance through networking with colleagues, or job shadow opportunities in other departments
- An exit interview to provide performance and work term report feedback
- For co-op students working remotely, refer to the Employer Guide to Onboarding Remotely
Co-op Student of the Year Awards
Employers are invited to nominate students for the Co-op Student of the Year Award. The award recognizes the outstanding contributions of the student in the areas of workplace performance, academic achievement, extracurricular involvement and involvement within the Co-op program at the University of Guelph.
About Us
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