Seven work terms and counting
After a successful hiring spree in July, Bombardier returned to Concordia October 7 with an arsenal of hiring managers targeting co-operative education students. So far, seven students have been offered four-month work terms starting in January 2012. This number is expected to rise.
The Institute for Co-operative Education offers a format that combines studying and internships with participating employers in alternating terms. The program takes four years to complete instead of three, including summer terms. Students finish with practical experience in the chosen field.
Institute Director Gerry Hughes remarked that the hiring managers from Bombardier are very impressed with the students. “The feedback I received is that the quality of students, and this is across several Faculties, including their background, bilingualism and professionalism makes them top choices for many of the jobs Bombardier is offering. It is also clear that Bombardier and Co-op continue to develop a deeper relationship, which will benefit not just Co-op students, but Concordia as a whole.”
Up to 70 positions are available to the engineering, computer science and business oriented Co-op students scheduled for a January 2012 work term. The seven selected students hail from civil engineering, mechanical engineering, finance, management information systems and the MBA Co-op programs.
It is up to the students to apply for the jobs, dress for success, present themselves for an interview and do their best to impress. Not picked? No problem! Students still acquire experience and more industry contacts as they continue to participate in the recruiting cycle for their next work term.
Leslie Hughes, assistant to the institute’s director, helped organize this very successful event. The staff from the Institute for Co-operative Education enjoyed the opportunity to meet the human resources representatives and managers from Bombardier. “Having Bombardier on campus gave us all the opportunity to get to know them better. There is a whole group of people who work together on both the university and employer side to make these work terms possible, and it’s good for them to meet each other face-to-face.”
And some of the faces are familiar. One of the human resources representatives was Cynthia Cohen-Tordjman, a Co-op student and Concordia graduate who did her final work term at Bombardier and now works there full time.
The relationship with Bombardier will continue to grow as Co-op coordinators go on-site to visit students and meet with their supervisors in the coming weeks. Next target … jobs for May 2012, and an ever expanding understanding of how industry and academia can join together to build better students and better opportunities before and after graduation.
Watch the Video from Bombardier’s July Visit, “Student Report: Concordia Takes Flight with Bombardier” — July 7, 2011:
Related links:
• Concordia’s Institute for Co-operative Education
• “It's not About the Money” — NOW, September 20, 2011
• “Co-op-erating with Microsoft” — NOW, September 13, 2011