Hire a co-op student

Every student in co-op meets a minimum academic standard and is in good academic standing. You interview and select the students you want, as with any other hire.

Architecture works differently from the rest of co-op. Students do two paid summer placements of roughly 13 to 14 weeks: the first after second year, in any building- or construction-related field, and the second after third year, in an architecture or design office. 

Placements run 4, 8, 12 or 16 months. A longer term means you onboard once instead of twice, and the student can take on work that does not fit into a single four-month block.

These are guides, not cut-offs. Most postings arrive in the month or two before, and we can usually still get a late posting in front of students. Send it to us, and we will tell you what is realistic.

Real roles held by Laurentian co-op students.

Engineering and operations. Mine Engineering Intern, Geotechnical Co-op Student, Tailings Engineering Co-op Student, Reliability Engineering Co-op Student, Mechanical Engineering Intern, Maintenance Engineering Co-op Student.

Process and metallurgy. Mill Metallurgist Intern, Process Technology Engineering Co-op, Operational Excellence Co-op Student, Controls and Automation Student.

Technical services and projects. Project Coordinator, Co-op Project Management Support, Contracting and Engineering Co-op, Acoustic Voice and Vibration Student.

Software and IT. Junior Programmer, IT and ERP Co-op Student, Student IT Technologist, Software Development Engineer Intern.

Employers who have hired our students include Vale, Glencore, Pan American Silver, Agnico Eagle, SNOLAB, Hatch, WSP, MacLean Engineering, Jannatec Technologies, Impala Canada, IAMGOLD, Teck Resources and CanmetMINING.

1. Create an employer account on CareerHub and post your position. Include the term, length, wage, and job description.
2. We make it visible. Your posting goes live on CareerHub, where students in the relevant programs search and apply.
3. You review applications and interview whoever you want to see. We can host interviews on campus if that is easier than arranging your own space.
4. You make an offer. Tell us, and we prepare the Co-op Agreement, signed by you, the student and the University before the work term starts. If your posting was open to the public and you want to confirm whether a candidate is one of our co-op students, ask us, and we will confirm it.
5. The work term is registered on our side, and the student starts on your schedule.

Already know a student you want to hire? That works too. Send us the details, and we will confirm the placement qualifies as a work term.

• Pay the student. Co-op placements are paid, full-time positions.
• Supervise the work and give the student real responsibility.
• Take part in one check-in partway through the placement, on-site or online.
• Complete a short performance assessment near the end of the term. It takes a few minutes, and we read it when we assess the work term.
• Cover the student under WSIB in Ontario, or the equivalent workplace safety insurance where the placement is located.
• Carry general liability insurance of at least $5,000,000. The University carries the same.

There is no fee to hire a co-op student. Everything above is set out in the Co-op Agreement, which we prepare and you, the student and the University sign before the term starts.

You can use two programs for the same placement. The tax credit applies to the portion of the wage the subsidy did not cover, so on a full four-month term at typical wages, you can still claim close to the maximum of both.

Ontario Co-operative Education Tax Credit

Up to $3,000 per placement. Businesses with an Ontario permanent establishment can claim 25 to 30 percent of eligible expenditures, depending on payroll. Placements must run at least 10 consecutive weeks and be approved by us, which happens when we approve your posting or confirm a student-sourced placement. Read the current terms.

Student Work Placement Program

Up to 50 percent of wages, capped at $5,000 per position, delivered through federal partners. Employers with fewer than 100 employees do not have to show the role is net new. Read the current terms.

We can point you to the right delivery partner for your sector and confirm your placement qualifies. Ask before you post, because some programs have application windows.

Hiring outside Ontario? Quebec, Manitoba and several other provinces run their own work placement credits, with their own rules about where the student works. Ask us, and we will find out what applies.