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Faculty of Science

Employers

We look forward to developing partnerships with employers who are interested in hiring our top students. Please see below for more information about our programs, process, benefits, and more.

For partnership and collaboration inquiries, please contact our Experiential Education office at sciexped@yorku.ca.

 

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Faculty of Science Co-op and Internship Program

There are many benefits to hiring our co-op and internship students:

New Perspectives

Top performing students can bring new perspectives and ideas to your organization/team.

Personal Development Opportunities

Current employees can improve their professional profile by training, mentoring, and supervising student workers.

Increased Productivity

Receive assistance from students to complete short-term or long-term projects. Students gain hands-on experience in the field, while employers benefit from having extra staff available to help meet deadlines and complete projects. Co-op students can work for up to 12 months and internship students can work for up to 16 months.

Find future Employees

Hiring co-op and internship students is a great way for employers to screen for future full-time employees. Employers can determine over the course of the co-op/internship if a student’s skills and experiences are a good fit with the organization.

Employer FAQs

Faculty of Science Experiential Education Office sciexped@yorku.ca

Eligible Faculty of Science students can apply for the optional Co-op or Internship Course after fulfilling specific academic requirements. Students need to be full-time with at least 9 credits remaining before they enter their work term, in the following programs:

Co-op Program:

  • Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Biomedical Science
  • Biophysics
  • Biotechnology
  • Chemistry
  • Data Science
  • Environmental Biology
  • Environmental Science
  • Physics & Astronomy
  • Mathematics for Education

Internship Course:

  • Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Mathematics (Actuarial Science, Applied Mathematics, Mathematics for Education, Pure Mathematics)
  • Physics & Astronomy
  • Statistics

Co-op Program:

  • Students will typically alternate between periods of work and periods of study. Co-op students can work for a minimum of 4 months and a maximum of 12 months.
  • Example: Student goes on a 4 month co-op in the summer after their 2nd year (May – August) –> Student returns to school to complete 3rd year of studies (September – April) –> Student secures a 2nd co-op position for 8 months (May – December) –> Student returns to school in January to complete studies full-time –> Student can apply to graduate once they meet all requirements.
  • All positions must be full-time and paid.
  • Students are eligible for co-op after their 2nd year of University studies and can be hired for work terms starting in January, May, and September.

Internship Course:

  • Students can work consecutively for a minimum of 4 months and a maximum of 16 months.
  • Example: Student goes on a 16-month internship starting in the summer after their 3rd year –> Student returns to school after 16 months to complete 4th year of studies full-time –> Student can apply to graduate once they meet all requirements.
  • All positions must be full-time and paid.
  • Students are eligible for internships after their 3rd year of University studies and can be hired for work terms starting in January, May, and September. Minimum length of an internship is 4 months.

If you would like to post a job to hire a co-op or internship student, please send the job posting to the Experiential Education Office with the following job details:

  • Description of role/duties
  • Location
  • Salary
  • Hours of work per week
  • Start date/month
  • Length of co-op/internship

Step by Step:

Step 1Send your job posting, including the job details (listed above) by e-mail to the Faculty of Science Experiential Education Office (sciexped@yorku.ca).
Step 2The job posting will be sent out to eligible students. Application packages (resume + cover letter) will be screened before they are sent to the employer. If employers wish, students can also apply for the position(s) directly on the company’s website.
Step 3Employers start interviewing candidates.
Step 4Once hiring decisions are finalized, employment agreements are signed and performance review processes are explained.
Step 5Co-op/Internship position starts.

Your organization might be eligible for the refundable tax credit through the Co-operative Education Tax Credit (CETC) when you hire a co-op/internship student. Tax credits are based on salaries/wages paid to students and employers can claim 25%-30% of eligible expenditures (maximum of $3,000 for each work placement).

There are some performance review processes for both supervisors and students during co-op/internship work terms. These performance reviews will help the Faculty determine the student’s Pass/Fail grade for their work term course. Although the Experiential Education Office will follow up with employers and students to remind them of performance review deadlines, students are responsible for making sure that all requirements are completed and submitted on time.

Terminology:
Per Work Term: Every 4 months
Per Co-op/Internship: Once per position.

Requirements:Completed By:Description:Deadlines:
Learning AgreementStudentStudent needs to identify 3-5 learning goals they would like to achieve. The student should review goals with their supervisor to make sure they’re realistic and appropriate.-Submit to the EE Office 2-4 weeks after starting
-The learning agreement will be reviewed by a Faculty member
-The learning agreement needs to be submitted once per co-op/internship
First Term CallStudent and SupervisorThe EE Office will arrange separate phone calls with the supervisor and the student. First term calls will last about 10-15 minutes and provides an opportunity to discuss student progress and clarify expectations.-Will be scheduled 6-8 weeks after starting
-Calls conducted by the EE Office
-First term calls will be scheduled once per co-op/internship
Last Term CallStudent and SupervisorA brief phone call will be conducted between the EE Office, student, and supervisor to discuss the students’ performance and progress on learning goals.-Will be scheduled last 2 weeks of work term
-Calls will be conducted by the EE Office
-Last term calls will be scheduled once per co-op/internship
Work Term ReportStudentStudent will submit a short summary (maximum 5 pages) about the work performed during their work term. The paper should explain if they achieved learning goals and what they gained from the experience.-Submitted at the end of each work term
-The work term report will be reviewed by a Faculty member
Supervisor EvaluationSupervisorAt the end of each work term the student will submit an evaluation completed by their supervisor. This should be submitted at the same time as the Work Term Report.-Submitted at the end of each work term
-The supervisor evaluation will be reviewed by Faculty