Co-operative education

Biology student Erin Latham spent a co-op work term with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, where she helped monitor protected properties around British Columbia.

About co-op

It's no surprise that UVic's extremely popular Co-operative Education Program is one of our students' favourite features. The program connects students with paid, relevant work experience in their field of interest. Co-op students learn by doing.

Here's how it works: co-op students alternate academic terms with work terms and graduate with up to one year of work experience in the real world, a network of valuable contacts and the skills to find a job that makes the best of their degree. Many co-op students find permanent employment with a former co-op employer. It doesn't get much better than that!

UVic Co-op is one of Canada's largest and most diverse co-op programs. Each year, students from more than 40 different programs areas complete more than 2,700 work term placements across Canada and around the world.

Co-op feature

Robin Parhar did her work term with a Real Estate and Property Management company in Duncan and was able to gain great insights into this industry. She learned that bringing enthusiasm and willingness each day to her job (which came naturally for her anyway), were qualities that were highly valued by her employer and resulted in her exceeding their expectations.

Read more stories of co-op students.

Recently accepted to UVic?

MyCo-op login

Congratulations! If you've been accepted into a program with a mandatory co-op component, you already know the deal. If not, visit the Co-op website to find out how to apply to Co-op (some programs include mandatory co-op), peruse frequently asked questions, read student testimonials, watch interviews with students and employers and research typical student salaries.

Information for employers

MyCo-op login

UVic Co-op provides employers with access to a year-round supply of well-trained and highly motivated student employees. Our co-op students are equipped with skills from a wide range of program areas and normally work for four-month terms from January to April, May to August, and September to December. Students from some programs are available for 8, 12 or 16-month work terms.

Visit the Co-op website to learn about our student skills, how to hire a co-op student, peruse frequently asked questions or download employer publications.