Co-op Student of the Year Award

THE 2024 APPLICATION DEADLINE IS NOW CLOSED

Co-op Student of the Year Award

Every year, a Co-op student is recognised as the Co-op Student of the Year. The recipient is also nominated for the Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL) Student Award.

  • A $1000 CAD cash prize
  • A framed recognition certificate 
  • A framed photograph of the award recipient of the year is proudly displayed on the Engineering Co-op & Career Centre's award wall
  • Winner will be announced in January and will be nominated for the Co-operative Education and Work-Intergrated Learning Canada (CEWIL) Student of the Year Award

  • The candidate is a current Engineering Co-op Student
  • The candidate has either completed or is currently in the process of completing one or more Co-op work terms during the following semesters: Fall 2023, Winter 2024, or Spring/Summer 2024
  • The candidate has not been awarded previously

The Awards Committee evaluates candidates based on their impact on the primary stakeholders of work-integrated learning. Each criterion holds one-third of the total score (out of 90).The committee then reviews top candidates based on their initial scores to determine the winner.

  • Impact on employer (30 pts)
  • Impact on student (self) (30 pts)
  • Impact on Institution (30 pts)

Impact on Employer (30 pts) includes:

  • Your duties/responsibilities and the impact it made to your workplace. 
  • Outstanding work achievements above and beyond the job description (cost savings, process/quality improvements, design/development innovations, improved customer service, significant research, or other initiatives, etc.). 
  • Duties or opportunities that were assigned to you in addition to typical work responsibilities because you performed above your employer's expectations. 

Impact on Student (self) (30 pts) includes:

  • Reasons why you participated in co-op and why you are happy you did.
  • How co-operative education has enhanced your personal, academic, and career development.
  • The impact your co-operative education experience has had on your understanding of your program of study.
  • How co-operative education has improved your confidence as a developing professional and motivated you further. 

Impact on institution (30 pts) includes:

  • How you've helped promote co-operative education to peers or academic units. 
  • Examples of how you've helped other students succeed in co-op. 
  • Examples of how you've used workplace learning or professional connections to enrich learning back on campus. 

To ensure eligibility for this award, it is important that both the candidate and employer complete the submission process before the deadline in a mutually agreed and timely manner.

The candidate must upload the following documents through the Student Nomination Form:

1. Student Nomination Form (Submitted by the candidate)

a. Personal Statement (file upload)
  • An essay, maximum of two pages typed with 1-inch margins and 12pt font size, that discusses how co-op education has enhanced the candidate's personal, academic, and career development.  Refer to the details on content and format which can be found on the Student Nomination Form. 
b. Up-to-date résumé (file upload)

2. Employer Nomination Form (Submitted by the employer)

The Awards Committee highly values the employer's perspective and is particularly interested in the following factors: 

  • The candidates duties/responsibilities.
  • The candidates impact on the workplace.
  • Outstanding work achievements (cost savings, process/quality improvements, design/development innovations, improved customer service, significant research or other initiatives, etc.).
  • Duties or opportunities that were assigned to the candidate in addition to typical work responsibilities because they performed above expectations.
Only candidates with completed application packages will be considered for the award.

Previous award recipients

2023 Award Winner

Lucius Ho

Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-op Employer: Seisware

Lucius interned at Seisware from May 2022 to September 2023. His accomplishments included:

  • Creating a comprehensive document that outlined the process, addressed issues that new developers may encounter while setting up their development environment, and provided a step-by-step guide. 

2022 Award Winner

Laura Bodie

Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-op Employer: Pinter & Associates Limited

Laura interned at PINTER from May 2021 to December 2021. Her accomplishments included:

  • Being creative by setting up a camera when working alone in the field. The thoughtful photographs captured now serve as meaningful images for PINTER’s reports and training documentation.