Co-op student sparks engineering job search
Alex Fournier, a senior Electrical Engineering Co-op (ELEC) student got to wondering what he could do to give back to Concordia and the Institute for Co-operative Education. “Both had played a huge role in my professional and personal development over the years,” he said. “I wanted to get involved and try to help other students as well as the Co-op.”
Fournier talked to many “ELEC” students who were either part of Co-op or INEX programs and realized they wanted work terms that were more oriented to their majors. “I decided my contribution would be to help the Co-op Institute establish partnerships with employers that offer more electrical engineering-focused work terms,” he said. “Co-op has numerous ELEC work terms, but many of the positions involve extensive programming, not the usual core of what electrical engineers do. Whether it is in telecommunications, power, control systems or microelectronics, the best work experience gives students the opportunity to design under a professional’s supervision.”
His initial idea was to gather outstanding co-op students, introduce them to industry representatives and “sell” Concordia ELEC students and the Co-op program to them. He researched and presented a list of dream employers to Gail Knafo, co-op business development coordinator, and a revised plan was initiated. First task: schedule a visit to international engineering, construction and project management giant, Bechtel Corporation.
Fournier and Knafo met with Kim White, staffing and recruiting supervisor at Bechtel’s Canadian offices in downtown Montreal and discussed what Bechtel looks for when hiring students and new graduates. Fournier reported, “The company finds it very helpful to see a student’s grade point average, flexibility/mobility and language proficiency listed on the CV. This is good advice and in my own case I had previously not indicated clearly on my CV that I was ready to work anywhere I was needed. I have now changed it to reflect my flexibility.”
Kim White explained the types of positions open to electrical engineers and what Bechtel looks for when hiring. “We learned about the working conditions, the internal mechanisms (career progressions, mentoring programs, etc.), and the recruiting periods,” Fournier said. “This is very useful information that we could not really have obtained except through direct dialogue with Ms. White. We are very grateful. By keeping this communication bridge alive, Co-op will remain up-to-date with Bechtel’s offerings and help them become a regular employer of Concordia students.”
The visit may, in fact, provide the opportunity to establish an official Co-op partnership. “Apparently it is something Bechtel has been considering,” Fournier said. “Gail Knafo and I talked with Ms. White extensively about Concordia’s students and how they could fit into Bechtel’s profile.”
And how does Concordia measure up? According to Fournier, “Concordia students usually speak more than one language, which can be a great asset to a potential employer. The ELEC curriculum coupled with co-op offers a very good balance between theory and hands-on experience. The result is what I like to call ‘complete students’ who have been exposed to all important aspects of an engineer’s job. I believe we presented a strong case to hire Co-op and INEX students as well as new graduates because Concordia gives its students all the tools to face any challenge that an employer may offer.”
(Concordia students can follow more than 30 bachelor’s programs in the co-operative education format, which alternates full-time academic terms with full-time, paid, 12- to 16-week work terms. Most Co-op students graduate with a minimum of a full year’s work experience related to their fields of study. Engineering and computer science students also have the option of participating in a summer-only industrial experience (INEX) work program.)
Related links:
• Institute for Co-operative Education
• Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science
• Bechtel Corporation