Cooperative Education & Careers Division

We expect that students are provided with an opportunity to develop their skills while doing work of real value to your organisation.

In preparing for CoOp, we ask students to consider a number of skills areas; from these they are asked to select specific skills they wish to develop during their placement. They will be asked to evaluate the extent of their skills development throughout the placement, and this will form part of their CoOp Report.

You will also be asked to evaluate their performance in the following areas:

• Ability to Learn
• Reading/Writing/Communication Skills
• Listening and Oral Communication Skills
• Creative Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
• Interspersonal and Teamwork Skills
• Organisational Effectiveness Skills
• Basic Work Habits
• Cultural Adaptation (International Placements only)
• Professional Skills

You should ensure that students are fully briefed on what is expected of them in the workplace, and of your organisation's policies and regulations as they apply to them.

All CoOp placements are paid, and most employers pay students the rate appropriate to the particular job with reference to their existing pay rates.

CoOp students will need supervision during the placement, especially in the early stages. If you need your student to be a self-starter and to work fairly independently from day one, it is important to make this clear when recruiting. Throughout the placement, it is useful if the student has someone to whom they can turn for advice and support.

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