Commerce Co‑op students overcome poor labour market thanks to work‑integrated learning

Despite a challenging labour market and the ongoing need for remote work in many industries, employers stepped up and Commerce Co-op students persevered to prove that not even a pandemic can stop work-integrated learning.

For the Winter 2021 term, Dalhousie Management Career Services (MCS) supported the largest cohort of Commerce Co-op students in the history of the program at 330 — all of them seeking their very first co-op experience. Of that record-breaking cohort, 325 students successfully landed co-op positions — 98.4 per cent of the total cohort. Nearly one-third (105) of these students are international. And 20 students are working within various units and faculties at Dalhousie.

“When I started the job search, I was still in my home country of India,” says Manvi Bansai, currently completing her co-op with Kerr Group of Companies. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, not only the job search was difficult, the time difference was also one of the biggest challenges.”

She says her MCS career advisor was one of the biggest supports. “He kept on motivating me to keep on applying and learn from my experiences. And that’s what I did. I saw every rejection as part of the learning process. Since it was my first co-op opportunity, I kept my mind open to all the roles that interest me where I can develop some soft skills and learn something new.”

Providing support

One of the many challenges the pandemic has created is the inability for some international students to return to Nova Scotia to work. However, it also has allowed Dalhousie Commerce Co-op students to work all over the world in their home countries. Commerce students are currently working in Canada and 11 other countries, another record. MCS supported these students in their job search wherever they were located, giving them the tools they needed to find work.

This support includes maintaining and seeking out new employer relationships, supporting employers through the process of obtaining funding (86 employers leveraged wage subsidy programs), and preparing and coaching students on application development, interviews, and how to do a targeted job search of their own.

“Securing my co-op during the pandemic has given me the opportunity to apply and further develop the knowledge and skills that I have learned so far in my program,” says Sarah Donovan, who is completing her co-op with CIBC.

“It has also provided me an opportunity to learn new skillsets and form meaningful connections with professionals that I don’t believe I would have otherwise. Thanks to the help and support of MCS I felt confident every step of the way throughout the entire process. They were there to put things into perspective and provide well thought out advice for all my questions and concerns.”

Helping students thrive

Seeing students thrive in creating the foundation for a successful career is what the work is all about.

“It is mandatory in the Commerce Co-op and Corporate Residency MBA programs. I believe it is the primary reason that many students choose to study with us," says Robert Wooden, director of MCS. “Thank you to everyone who was a part of this successful Winter 2021 work term.

“My favourite hashtags #HireDal and #DalProud certainly apply.”