If payrolls are any indication, more and more employers think co-op programs make good business sense. UBC's 1,100 co-op students together will earn $9 million in wages this year.
Craig Louie of Burnaby-based Ballard Power Systems, a world leader in fuel cell power systems, appreciates the value of co-op from both a personal and business perspective.
A former UBC co-op student himself, Louie credits his three co-op work terms with helping him land a job with Ballard after he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Engineering Physics in 1991.
Now a systems engineer and hiring manager, Louie says half the recent graduates hired by Ballard have co-op experience from UBC or other institutions.
"Ballard prefers co-op students because they have varied experience and a proven track record as well as practical and useful skills," he says.
Ballard is confident of getting high quality candidates from co-op programs, and a four- or eight-month stay is a good opportunity to evaluate possible future employees, Louie says.
For a growing company facing new challenges all the time, hiring fresh minds who already know how the company works is a real advantage, he adds.