06 Feb 2018 8 Resources To Make Hiring Co-op Students A No-Brainer
Looking for eager talent with a fresh perspective to join your team? With 15 post-secondary institutions totalling more than 10,000 students in 300+ co-op programs in British Columbia, look no further than the talented students found right here in this province.
According to the 2016 TechTalentBC Report, co-ops are an effective way to prepare students for the workforce, citing that “62% of students that participated in co-ops secured full-time employment within the first three months of graduation.”
Despite the proven success of co-op programs, many smaller companies are missing out on co-op talent because they don’t feel they have the resources.
“BC’s small tech companies hire students for co-ops less frequently than large companies, in part due to the time and resources required to train co-op participants for what is perceived as only a short duration,” cites the 2016 TechTalentBC Report.
However, with so many fantastic resources out there, including a variety of grants to subsidize the financial burden, hiring students is a far more viable and effective option for filling tech roles than you may realize.
For tech companies that are looking to hire co-op students, here is a toolbox of some of those resources:
Tools
If you need funding:
- Co-op Funding Matrix: At-a-glance table of available grants for technology companies hiring co-ops
- BCIC – BC Tech Co-op Grants Program
- Innovation Concierge: A Federal initiative that helps connect businesses with funding
If you need to find talent:
- Co-op Collision Day
- ACE Job Board: includes students from all 15 BC post-secondary co-op programs
- WorkBC Job Board
If you need additional resources:
- Association for Co-operative Education BC Yukon
- BC Guide to Hiring a Co-op Student
- Hiring Co-op Students — Why It’s Good for Business (Small Business BC)
If you have any resources that you’d like to let us know about, please contact Sydney Goodfellow.