Recruiting Guidelines and Expectations

Roles and Expectations

Your Role as an Employer

We would like you to:

• Provide challenging assignments and projects.
• Offer sufficient training and supervision.
• Provide fair compensation.
• Speak with the co-op consultant for a work term visit.
• Review the student’s work term report.
• Complete a written evaluation of the student’s performance at the end of the work term.

Your Role as a Supervisor

• Arrange orientation, training and workspace for your student.
• Outline the student's responsibilities, tasks and projects.
• Share information about your organization's policies and practices, including those related to hours of work.
• Discuss your expectations, supervisory style and how you would like to communicate with the student.

Health and Safety

Meet occupational health regulations and train co-op students in your organization’s health and safety policies, including those related to WHMIS, COVID-19, and personal protective equipment.

Learning Objectives

Students are responsible for developing learning objectives, discussing them with you and sending them to their co-ordinator.

Work Term Visit

Your co-op consultant will arrange mutually convenient times to meet with you and, separately, your student. During the pandemic, most visits are by phone or online. You and your consultant will:

• Assess how the work term is progressing.
• Review the student’s learning objectives.
• Ensure you are satisfied with the student’s performance.

Work Term Report

Students on a first work term complete a written report that we share with other co-op students to assist in their career research. We ask you to review the report and determine whether it is confidential. A faculty member will evaluate the report and we will make it accessible to other co-op students, unless you deem the report confidential.

Performance Evaluation

We will send you a link to an online evaluation form for each student you hire. After completing the evaluation, you will share it with your student and discuss their performance. Co-op students at Laurier must meet performance expectations; we will review those whose performance is not satisfactory and may remove them from the program.

Students perform best when expectations are clear and they receive regular feedback. We appreciate your efforts to provide an effective learning environment and an opportunity for students to improve by identifying performance issues, providing additional training if necessary and by explaining where corrective action is required. If you have any concerns about a co-op student, please contact the co-op office immediately.

Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada

CEWIL Canada provides resources for employers, including guidelines on recruiting ethics, conducting virtual interviews, and supervising students.