Co-op grad returns the favour

Jeanty himself is a graduate of Concordia’s Co-op program, which allows student to get hands-on experience through paid four-to-eight-month internship placements while still in school. The training equips them with skills to get a job before they even collect their diploma on graduation day.

“It’s been a great experience so far,” says Jeanty of working with his new hires. “It has helped me be more patient and it was great to see them grow. They amaze me all the time.”

It’s alumni like Jeanty that Gerry Hughes, Co-op program director, is looking for to pay it forward. “Our greatest asset is our alumni network,” he says.

“The more Jean-Moises we have lifting their hands and saying, ‘I see the benefits of the Co-op program, and if I can find a way to support it I will,’ the better.”

More placements needed

Concordia’s Co-op program is growing rapidly, with 1,900 students from 40 undergraduate programs participating today, compared to 1,100 students four years ago.

Right now, there are up to 800 employers, the majority in Montreal and the largest being Bombardier.

“We could always use more,” Hughes says. “If we don’t have jobs, we don’t have a co-op program. We are always trying to find ways to give students diversified experiences.”

About 90 per cent of Co-op students get a placement, but they have to maintain the grades and be actively engaged in the program, Hughes says. The payoff at the end is increased confidence and, as in Jeanty’s case, a job.

During his own Co-op experience at Concordia, Jeanty did an internship with accounting firm Ernst & Young, who offered him a position even before he graduated.

A Good Investment

“I learned a lot in my internship about interpersonal skills,” Jeanty says, adding that the experience also made him realize he’d preferred to specialize in auditing and advisory rather than his initial choice of IT auditing.

Jeanty, who has been with Lockheed for close to two years, looked into hiring Co-op students within his first six months on the job. The first student to help reinforce Jeanty’s finance team arrived in January 2015.

“At first, it was for four months, but then we realized a longer term would be a better investment. So now students stay for eight months,” he says.

Hughes notes the program is beneficial for both students and companies, who pay their interns but may also take advantages of tax credits.

“A co-op internship can be like a four-to-eight-month interview for the employer and student. It provides students the opportunity to explore career options with the organization,” he says.

And in many cases, it ends in employment by the time graduation rolls around.

“Approximately, 35 per cent have an employment offer by the time they walk across the stage at convocation,” Hughes says. “Or, at a minimum, they fully understand the recruitment processes and have established a positive network.”