Co-op Challenge in honour of the Class of 2020

3 women and 3 men sitting on stairs smiling posing for a picture

#2020ForClassOf2020
Alumni co-op 'introduction campaign' in honour of the 2020 graduating class

Fond memories of your co-op experiences? Want to make a difference for current students? Join our #2020ForClassOf2020 referral challenge.

We are thrilled that our alumni have joined us to celebrate the class of 2020. In lieu of a traditional planting of a tree on campus for a decade graduation year, we want to do something to support our current students who may be feeling anxious about the possibility that they may not have a co-op position available to them in the fall. As such, we activating the sheer potential of our alumni who are working in industry, government and academia by inviting you to make an introduction to a potential employer in honour of the Class of 2020.

We want to empower you in this special pursuit and make it very easy.

What does an introduction look like?

Between now and the virtual convocation (June 19th), pledge to make an introduction to a prospective employer. Please include the following in your referral:

  • Full name & contact information (ideally an email address and cc the contact)
  • Company name & company city

A co-op representative will follow up on your introduction to showcase the available opportunities and broad range of talent, as well as possible funding open to them.

Why would your contact want to host a co-op student?

  1. Access to some of the brightest and most talented students and future employees.
  2. There is unprecedented federal funding, which means that employers could get up to 75% of a student wage subsidized. Non-profits may be eligible for complete funding.
  3. To help move them online. Waterloo co-op students have been trained to help companies move to the virtual workplaces.
  4. To give a student the experience of a lifetime!

Read more about the current need for positions here: University of Waterloo co-op students struggle to find positions as pandemic dries up opportunities. Learn what alumnus Cindy Forbes (BMath '79) thinks that co-op education is critical to COVID-19 recovery in Canada (and how Waterloo helps to build a resilient workforce).

Make your pledge today.

I PLEDGE TO MAKE:

ONE INTRODUCTION 

TWO INTRODUCTIONS

THREE INTRODUCTIONS

OTHER