In her final years of high school, teachers warned Ainsley Wallace and her classmates that going to university wouldnB次元官网网址檛 guarantee them a dream job.

B次元官网网址淭hey kind of scared us a bit and told us that getting a degree doesnB次元官网网址檛 mean youB次元官网网址檒l automatically get a good job,B次元官网网址� said Wallace, originally from Ottawa and now a student at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

B次元官网网址淚 decided to apply for a co-op program so I could graduate with some work experience and be able to compete for better jobs.B次元官网网址�

Canada is a leader in co-operative education, a learning model that alternates between academic and paid work terms.

ItB次元官网网址檚 a form of so-called work integrated learning, an umbrella term that also includes other approaches to experiential learning like apprenticeships, internships and clinical placements.

Co-op programs can vary across the country, but all involve work related to a studentB次元官网网址檚 field of study.

Employers gain access to affordable and energetic young talent, while students get hands-on experience and earn money.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 earn while you learn,B次元官网网址� said Robert Wooden, director of Management Career Services at Dalhousie University. B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檙e learning in the classroom but youB次元官网网址檙e also earning an income during work terms.B次元官网网址�

The rising cost of living and higher tuition fees have made co-op programs increasingly appealing for students.

Tuition costs have nearly doubled over the last 20 years, according to Statistics Canada, while the cost of housing, food and other basic living expenses have also increased drastically.

Wallace, currently working for Halifax-based mentorship organization EnPoint as a marketing and business growth intern, said being able to earn cash while attending university was a major draw.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 fully on student loans,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 definitely been so helpful to be able to make an income for four months straight during these internships.B次元官网网址�

Making sure students are paid is one of the requirements of co-op accreditation, said Wooden, who also chairs the Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada Accreditation Council.

B次元官网网址淐o-op students arenB次元官网网址檛 working for free,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淣owadays university is too expensive. Organizations that are seeking to take advantage of unpaid student labour B次元官网网址� co-ops are not interested in that.B次元官网网址�

Despite allowing students to earn money, co-op programs often take more time to complete.

B次元官网网址淭ypically co-op programs do take longer, but you graduate with a year of relevant work experience,B次元官网网址� Wooden said. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 a lot more powerful on a resume than a degree and experience mowing lawns for three summers.B次元官网网址�

Companies hire co-op students as a way of bringing fresh ideas and young workers into the workplace.

B次元官网网址淓mployers like the co-op model because they see it as a talent pipeline,B次元官网网址� said Alice Hsiung, manager of career development projects and operations at Centennial College in Toronto, which offers co-op programs for students in different disciplines, including business, engineering technology, applied science and transportation.

B次元官网网址淪ome even offer students part-time jobs when they return to school at the end of a term and full-time positions once they graduate.B次元官网网址�

Although co-op programs have gained an edge amid the rising cost of living, they have a long history in Canada.

The University of Waterloo has been running co-operative education programs since the school was founded 65 years ago.

Its co-op program gained worldwide attention during the rise of BlackBerry, formerly Research In Motion, which drew heavily on the schoolB次元官网网址檚 engineering and computer science talent.

But co-op programs arenB次元官网网址檛 just for engineers and computer science students, said Norah McRae, associate provost of Co-operative and Experiential Education at the University of Waterloo.

Every academic program across the schoolB次元官网网址檚 six faculties offers a co-op program B次元官网网址� some optional and some mandatory B次元官网网址� with about 25,000 work terms last year alone, McRae said.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 an opportunity for students to engage with workplaces and take what theyB次元官网网址檙e learning in the classroom and apply it in different contexts,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚t deepens the learning through application.B次元官网网址�

She adds: B次元官网网址淪ometimes the best work terms are those where a student says, B次元官网网址業 hate this,B次元官网网址� because itB次元官网网址檚 way better to figure that out after a four-month work term than to graduate, pursue a career in that field and a couple of years later realize itB次元官网网址檚 not for you.B次元官网网址�

Still, despite the benefits of co-op programs, there are drawbacks.

Sometimes job offers are far from where the university or college is located.

B次元官网网址淚f youB次元官网网址檙e a finance student and you want to work in capital markets, the only place that you can really get into sales and trading is Toronto downtown,B次元官网网址� Wooden said.

B次元官网网址淚f youB次元官网网址檙e an industrial engineering student, youB次元官网网址檙e not going to step outside your apartment and walk to work. There is no manufacturing plant in downtown Halifax.B次元官网网址�

While some employers have started to offer hybrid or remote work terms B次元官网网址� and others offer relocation benefits B次元官网网址� co-op students may have to move to gain experience, he said.

Also, co-op programs arenB次元官网网址檛 easy.

While universities find employers looking to hire, share job postings and offer tools to help students build resumes and prepare for interviews, the student is responsible for engaging in a competitive process and finding a work term, McRae said.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 hard work,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淣o one in any co-op program in Canada is going to hand you a job.B次元官网网址�

Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press

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