The Asper School of Business hosts the largest Co-op Program at the University of Manitoba. The program serves as an educational partnership, bridging the employment and academic needs of students, the University, and the business community.

Co-op formally enables student to integrate academic studies with on-the-job experience while meeting the recruitment needs of employers. Each work term students are employed full-time for a minimum period of four months and are actively engaged in productive work.

The Canadian Association for Co-operative Education describes co-op education as a program that formally integrates a student’s academic studies with work experience with participating employers in accordance with the following criteria:

1. Each work situation is developed and/or approved by the co-operative educational institution as a suitable learning situation
2. The co-op student is engaged in productive work rather than merely observing
3. The co-op student receives remuneration for the work performed
4. The co-op student’s progress on the job is monitored by the co-operative educational institution
5. The co-op student’s performance on the job is supervised and evaluated by the student’s co-operative employer
6. Time spent in periods of work experience must be at least thirty percent of the time spent in academic study

Students in the Asper Co-op Program are completing the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) program and have the opportunity to major in over 13 different specializations relevant to today's business world.

Upon graduation, co-op students will receive a ?Co-operative Education Option designation on their final transcript and degree parchment. The Co-op Program is designed to develop self sufficiency, employability, capabilities, and confidence.

Professional Development

Students will receive remuneration and constructive feedback in a facilitative learning environment. This includes professional development provided by the co-op office such as resume, cover letter and interview workshops, as well as opportunities to get involved through networking with the business community and fellow students.

In addition to resume, cover letter and interview workshops, the co-op office offers other professional development sessions including:

• The CA Institute Meeting which invites all CA Co-op students to attend an Information Session hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba. This is an exciting opportunity for students to learn how Co-op and CASB are a good fit together.
• DISC is an exciting workshop presented by Barbara McMullen from Insights to Success and is offered to Co-op Students only. The most effective people are those you understand themselves, both their strengths and weaknesses, so they can develop strategies to meet the demands of their environment.  How do you become that person?  First step is attending this workshop: How to Understand You…and Me! 

In addition to networking workshops, the co-op office hosts the annual Celebrating Co-op event which brings students and the business community together. Celebrating Co-op is the premier co-op event of the year, and it is designed to provide all co-op students with an opportunity to connect with both peers and employers, and develop new professional contacts. We celebrate student achievements in co-op in a formal way, and allow the brand new co-op students in attendance to learn from previous student’s experiences. It also gives students a chance to prepare for future work terms or post graduation by facilitating face to face meetings with recruiters allowing them to learn about great career opportunities.

See the Resources page for more information on professional development resources provided by the co-op program.

Learn about how the Co-op Hiring Incentive can help you secure a job after graduation »