Co-op Process Details

Webinars are part of all accredited co-op programs. They are critical to your success, and you must take part in all of them.

All webinars can be found either in your Virtual Campus (Brightspace) or you can register via the Workshop Registration Tool.

Learn more about co-op workshops.

In the Experiential Learning Platform (Co-op Portal), choose one of these three options:

1. "Participating in placement"
   • We post job offers and arrange interviews on campus. Our program coordinators will make every effort to find you a placement in your field of study.
2. “Conduct your own job search”
   • We must approve the placement. Complete the “Found Own Form” submit it to the co-op office. The employer must also confirm in writing the intention to hire you. The placement must be a paid position related to your field of study and involve at least 16 weeks of full-time employment.
3. “I am returning to a previous employer”
   • Email us at [email protected] and indicate that you wish to return to your previous employer. You must also include proof from your employer of the intention to re-hire you.

You may choose to " participate in placement" while looking for your own position, or while waiting for your previous employer to confirm your return, however there are a few things you must remember:

• If you commit to " participate in placement", you must apply to jobs on the Co-op Portal that interest you, attend all virtual interviews scheduled through the Co-op Portal.
• If you get an offer from your independent search, you must provide a confirmation by filling out the “found own form” by the date indicated on the key dates page, or else you will need to submit a ranking for your co-op interviews and possibly be matched. 

If you receive a confirmation from your previous employer that they wish to rehire you for the term, you will need to send the confirmation (including salary and a job description if different from previous term) via e-mail to [email protected] as soon as possible (deadline can be found on key dates page) in order to be matched and removed from the placement process.

Note: If you choose to participate in the placement, you will be required to attend all your interviews and rank all your jobs!

You have multiple ways to apply to jobs

• You can apply to co-op jobs posted exclusively for University of Ottawa co-op students, via the Experiential Learning Platform (Co-op Portal)or the co-op app. You must participate in the "placement process" to apply to these jobs. 
• Apply to other potential jobs on external websites through the IndEx tool. A walkthrough of how to apply to jobs on IndEX can be found lower on this webpage. 

Applying to jobs on the Co-op Portal/Co-op app

As of Fall 2024, applying to co-op jobs is a continuous hiring process. 

Similar to what use to be known as the Second Round (Continuous Placement), the placement process is ongoing for each student until they are matched with a job. Learn more about ranking through the Continuous Placement Ranking FAQ webpage. 

Work term details must be submitted no later than three weeks after the start of your work term. This information will allow us to properly plan mid-term evaluations, even if they will only take place in the following weeks. 

How to submit your Work Term Details

1. Log into the Co-op Portal and click on “My Evaluations”.
2. Next to your current work-term, click on “Mid-term evaluation”. 
3. Complete all required fields under “Work-term details” (Part 1). 
4. Don’t forget to “Save”.

If you don’t yet have all the required information:

Enter the expected start date of your placement (this will be very useful for us in planning). You can then fill in the other fields once you have the information in question. Only the placement start date can be saved without providing the other information. 

If you still don’t have your placement start date, update us on your situation and explain why you’re still waiting for this information. 

Competency development objectives (also known as work term objectives) help you give your very best - and have the best possible placement experience.

How to submit your Competency Development Objectives

1. Log into the Co-op Portal and click on the tab "My Evaluations"
2. Next to your current work-term, click on “Mid-term evaluation”. 
3. Enter the requested information
4. Don’t forget to “Save”.

Elements to Consider

• Your goals may change and evolve over the course of your experiences and should be revised regularly.
• If you do not achieve 100% of your objectives at the end of your experience, simply explain the reasons in your reflections.
• Use the SMARTS formula to assess the accuracy of your objectives as well as the actions you took to achieve them, the results, and the outcomes.
• Use a journal to keep track of your thoughts and experiences, as these valuable notes could be used to evaluate your goals or as anecdotal examples in your reflective evaluation.

How to submit your Reflective Report

1. Log into the Co-op Portal and click on the tab "My Evaluations"
2. Next to your current work-term, click on “Work-Term Report”. 
3. Upload your Report

Why are there different dates to submit my reflective report?

For everyone’s sake, to evenly distribute the load on the servers and ensure the system functions properly, we suggest dates for submission of work term reports by faculty. This will avoid excessive system traffic on the deadline for submitting reports through the Co-op Portal.

The official deadline remains indicated in the key dates, but if you can, please submit your report by the suggested date for your faculty.