Benefits of Cooperative Education
Cooperative education gives students the opportunity to:
- Make connections between school and work and to "try out" a career of interest before finalizing plans for post-secondary education, training, or employment;
- See the relevance of their classroom learning in a work setting;
- Develop the essential skills and work habits required in the workplace and acquire a direct understanding of employer and workplace expectations;
- Gain valuable work experience to help build their résumé for post-secondary programs and future employment; and/or
- Experience hands-on and purposeful learning outside a traditional classroom setting.
The Cooperative Education program helps students meet the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) in the following ways:
- Cooperative Education credits may be used to meet up to two of the 18 compulsory credit requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
- Students must also earn 12 optional credits for the OSSD. There is no limit to the number of optional courses that might be earned through Cooperative Education courses.
- Under the ministry-approved framework for the new Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) designation within the OSSD, students must earn a minimum of two Cooperative Education credits as one of the required components of the SHSM.
- Cooperative Education is also a required component of other specialized programs, such as school-to-work and school-to-apprenticeship (OYAP) programs.