Co-op Process and Programs

Co-op Student Recruitment

Discover Lakehead University’s Co-operative Education Program, and become a co-educator today!

Hiring a co-op student provides you, as the employer, many benefits and incentives:

Reduced Recruitment and Hiring Costs

• Enjoy access to a year-round supply of highly motivated and capable students from many different disciplines to perform specific tasks or projects
• Select from a group of applicants who have already met above average academic requirements and have completed some post-secondary training as well as some preparation for operating effectively in the workplace
• Students can be employed for work terms of 4, 8, 12, or 16 months (depending on the program) and may be available for up to 4 consecutive work terms
• A cost-effective means of evaluating future employees – an extended interview

Effective Human Resource Management

• Meet short-term needs due to vacation schedules, transfers, promotions, training commitments, peak work loads or special projects by hiring co-op students
• Ability to increase effective utilization of permanent employees and an opportunity for employee development in the area of (co-op student) supervision
• Co-op students bring enthusiasm and a host of new ideas and approaches which can have a positive effect in the workplace

Investing in Our Future

• Share in the training and development of our students to help them become productive members of society and potential leaders
• Considered co-educators as employers provide learning opportunities beyond the bounds of the classroom
• Co-operative Education provides the opportunity for employers to directly influence the educational process; suggestions on how to make curriculum more relevant or improve the pre-employment training are encouraged

To find out more or discuss the potential benefits to your organization, please contact us at careers.coop@lakeheadu.ca or 807-343-8010 ex 7190

At Lakehead University, there are a variety of disciplines that offer the co-op option:

Lakehead University’s Co-operative Education program has a continuous cycle throughout the year, which includes job postings, interviewing and selection of co-op students.

This allows you, to engage with our highly qualified and skills candidates in a more efficient and time sensitive manner. We encourage you to utilize the following recruitment timelines:

Co-op Job Posting Requirements Include:

• Minimum 12 weeks and/or 420 hours of work per term (Summer, Fall, or Winter)
• Minimum 35 hours a week
• Must be paid at least minimum wage
• Must be a full-time, paid work experience

Recruitment Timelines:

The Co-op Hiring Process:

Posting on the Co-op Job Bank: For co-operative education job postings, you are required to post your job on our co-op job bank. You can also, in addition to the co-op job bank, send the job posting via email so I can send directly to students as well. Please indicate deadline and how you would like students to apply.

1.    Log into www.mysuccess.lakeheadu.ca to submit your job posting directly to our online Co-op Job Bank. Be sure to click “Co-op Job Postings.” If you are a new user please register under Employer. For more information about posting to the Co-op Job Bank, please feel free to contact careers.coop@lakeheadu.ca for detailed instructions.

2.    Emailing a Co-op Job Opportunity:  Email your job posting directly to careers.coop@lakeheadu.ca Please note: Emailed jobs are sent to students via email, and not posted on the Co-op Job Bank on behalf of the employer. 

Please note: if a student is selected for an interview, the position must be approved by a faculty advisor before the student can accept the job offer. This is coordinated between the Employer Relations & Co-op Advisor, student and faculty advisor. 

3.       Selection Process: Once you have selected a candidate that makes the right fit for your organization, you can make the job offer directly to the candidate of choice. The student will have 3 business days to respond to the offer of employment. Lakehead University’s co-operative education program does require a formal written offer of employment to be submitted once the candidate has accepted the offer. Employers are able to extend offers of employment at any time to meet the hiring needs of the organization.

A variety of services are available to employers who are interested in recruiting Lakehead University students, co-op students, upcoming graduates and alumni.

Engage and connect with our students today! Book an event on campus for the opportunity to meet with our students who are knowledgeable, skilled and motivated!

To ensure you receive information regarding on-campus employer events for Fall 2023 academic term create an employer account on MySuccess.

Lakehead University also hosts four career fairs throughout the academic year. Career fairs are a great way to promote upcoming positions with your organizations, promote your organization and meet prospect employees first hand. Our Career Fair dates will be announced later this summer.