Co-operative Education - An Overview

Co-operative education, formally introduced to British Columbia in the mid-1970s, bridges the gap between the academic world and the world of work by formally integrating periods of full-time classroom study with periods of relevant, paid, full-time work experience.

The goals of co-operative education are to improve students’ employment prospects upon completion of their post-secondary education, and to enrich their understanding of what they have learned in the classroom through relevant work experience.

Many programs at public post-secondary institutions offer students the option of participating in co-op, which allows them to graduate with a co-op distinction. Most co-op programs have a system of alternating academic and work terms.

Further Information

The Association for Co-operative Education in British Columbia/Yukon (ACE) is a provincial non-profit organization of all post-secondary institutions in the region that offer cooperative education programs. For more information on programs offered at individual institutions, go to http://www.co-op.bc.ca.