Career: The Need For CO-OP Program And The Potentials

CO-OP ( co-operative education) is very significant for students to have practical experience of what is taught in the classroom. Such programmes gives students exposure to industry while

they study, and build them to become more employable upon graduation.

Basically, during co-op, students stand to gain these:

• Develop new skills that you could help you excel in the workplace.
• Professional behaviour. This is important in any business or workplace setting and is invaluable in your transition from school to the workforce
• Decide whether you want to continue in the industry. A co-op placement allows you the flexibility to ensure that this is the industry you want to work in, without having to make a long-term commitment.
• Discover areas with lapses. You might find that there are some skills required in your industry you need to improve on that you did not learn in the classroom that are valuable to your professional development.

The labour market is a place with diverse fields but open to those with high potentials. Having a co-op experience on your resume is an easy way to make you stand out from the crowd.

Employers value prior work experience over solely having academic credentials, and most companies will look more favourably upon candidates who have worked in the field before.

You become a much more rounded applicant once you have experience in your respective field, and will give you much more confidence when applying and interviewing for jobs.

A Graduate should have employable skills and doing a co-op placement, it is the perfect opportunity to learn these skills.

CO-OP is an insight into your future. It allows you to test-drive your career and studies.  You gain so much work experience along with your studies. It gives you the ample opportunity to work with large organizations, companies or startups that can help you jumpstart your career. Within this period, you get to know where your weakness and strength lies upon.  CO-OP gives you a chance to reconsider, look at other options or focus on another area of the field that might be of interest..

Taking part in a co-op program, helps with the following ways:

Meet Professionals

Networking is an important skill to have, and co-op creates the avenue to interact with professionals in your industry that you otherwise might not have encountered.

Because of these networking opportunities, more job offers may present themselves to you down the road.

You Get Paid For your Service

While some student internships and placements remain unpaid, students who take part in co-op programs are paid for the service they rendered. As this is not a humanitarian job. This money could go towards tuition fee.

Help develop and perfect your professional skills. It allows you perfect your professional skills. This is where CO-OP ensures that you are well prepared for interviews and that your resumé is well written. Taking part in many interviews now prepares you when it comes to finding your first actual big job.