Co-op Specialist

The incumbent is responsible for the facilitation and coordination of the co-operative education experience of both co-op students and employers within the Co-op Department. This position’s key mandate is to foster confidence in students to achieve both their co-op goals and career aspirations upon graduation.

Working closely with the academic departments, the position aligns the co-op work term experience with the students’ academic program to ensure the applied learning opportunity enhances and is directly relevant to the students’ classroom learning. Further, the incumbent is responsible for maintaining, developing, and coordinating the policies and procedures required to administer all the college’s co-operative education programs. Collaborating closely with the respective faculty departments, the position is responsible for developing and implementing employer outreach strategies, and engendering constructive relationships with business, industry, government, and non-governmental sectors of the economy in the promotion of the college’s work integrated learning platform.

The position has the principal role of preparing co-op students for their co-op work terms and graduate career pathway through both formal information sessions and personal meetings that address work term preparation and employment search strategies. Coupled with the emphasis on building relationships, the position is expected to investigate new trends and opportunities that are emerging in the field and provide expertise in undertaking the necessary monitoring and follow-up to achieve departmental success indicators.

**RESPONSIBILITIES**:
Duties include, but are not limited to:
**Employer Engagement - Recognizing emerging employment trends and employer/student needs, researches and secures program related paid employment opportunities, within a competitive business and industrial labour market place. Through outreach, labour market analysis and promotional activities, initiates, organizes and coordinates the on-campus recruitment activities for co-op employers, students, and graduates.**
- Initiate and promotes Mohawk College Co-operative Education brand, services and programs to potential new employers, typically, but not limited to, the province of Ontario. Marketing strategies include: preliminary screening and qualifying, feature/benefit analysis, identifying and targeting specific employment markets, developing promotional materials, researching potential employers, developing leads, lunch and learn sessions, employer/student information panels and follow up through personal visits, and presentations to prospective employers.
- Liaise with new and established employers, determining employer/student needs, ensuring a maximum level of satisfaction with college programs and maintaining existing positions while anticipating, identifying and securing new employment opportunities for students and graduates.
- Engage in strategic networking initiatives through the analysis and investigation with current employer relationships, competing post secondary employer-based programs, faculty, advisory committees, professional trade associations and publications, and community organizations.
- Consult with employers to develop meaningful job descriptions to ensure an effective fit for both the student and employer.
- Develop and maintaining significant, productive relationships with representatives from all levels within business, industry, government, and educators in order to effect long term strategies that will meet future project requirements.
- Develop and foster employer partnerships, collaborate, and support succession planning initiatives in an increasingly competitive economic climate.
- Performs a significant role in the design and launch of outreach and communication strategies relative to new and emerging initiatives that contribute to the attainment of the College’s strategic priorities, including Lunch & Learn events, industry conferences, college and community job fairs.
**Student Preparation and Supports - Provides knowledge and expertise, direction and support to co-op students/graduates participating in Co-operative Education programs to ensure student success and co-operative education standards are achieved.**
- Supports students by providing expertise and insight regarding meaningful available employment opportunities, and expertise in job search techniques and resources.
Applies sound investigational techniques designed to elicit accurate performance feedback relative to the work term experience by both employer and student.
- Identifies and effectively resolves any current or potential issues or concerns by either the employer and/or student, and consults the Director, Co-op and Experiential Learning when required.
- Prepares and presents formal presentations to co-op students and employers in relation to information on the College’s Co-op resources, and specifically on co-operative education policies and