Thank you to our employers for the continued support of our students and our program.
While the COVID-19 situation continues, the Arts & Science Co-op office stands steadfast in our support for our students and co-op employer partners. We're here to help ensure that all involved get the support and resources needed. Co-op work terms remain an important part of students’ work-integrated learning and our students continue to contribute significantly to their co-op work term organizations.
Below are some key questions that we've received from our employers. If you have questions that are not answered below or would like to discuss a particular situation, please reach out to us directly to discuss. We remain very flexible and are happy to talk through all situations based on your organization’s unique needs.
Is the Arts & Science Co-op office still open?
Yes. Our department is currently working remotely in support of the University of Toronto’s efforts to slow the transmission of COVID-19, but we're available by phone or email and, as always, are ready to help.
Here's a few ways that you can continue to regularly reach our team:
General employer inquiries: uoftcoop@utoronto.ca
Recruited our students before? Contact your External Relations Officer
New employer for Arts & Science Co-op, or just unsure who to call? Please contact Leslie Rouatt at leslie.rouatt@utoronto.ca or 647-394-2120
Wage subsidies and federal funding available
Significant expansions to federal wage subsidy programs have recently been announced. Read more about them on our funding webpage, or take advantage of our full-service approach to funding by connecting with our business development team for their insights into your eligibility for the various funding programs.
Currently employing a co-op student
We fully support our students working remotely; they've been asked to follow the directions and instructions of their employers. We're here to support these remote working arrangements as needed to ensure the work term continues successfully.
If your co-op student will be required to come on-site for any portion of their work term, please reach out to your Business Development Coordinator to discuss the safety precautions being taken and government safety regulations that are being met. Ideally, we would like to include details about the safety precautions within the job posting. This ensures that students are aware of all safety measures being taken when they apply for your role.
Regardless of the timing, as soon as you know that our co-op student will be asked to work on-site rather than working remotely, please reach out to our office at uoftcoop@utoronto.ca
Potentially, yes. We consider this a work term extension. Please discuss this possibility with your co-op student to ensure that they're interested in this change and that they’re able to adjust their academic schedule accordingly. If both, you and your student would like to arrange a work term extension, please contact your Business Development Coordinator or reach us at uoftcoop@utoronto.ca so that we can make the necessary adjustments to their records.
As with every term, our Business Development coordinator will be in touch to set up a time to meet. The only difference you'll experience right now is that this visit will take place by phone or video rather than in-person.
Yes. We will email you the midterm and final performance evaluation links for your current student. Please complete the evaluations and discuss them with your current student; they're excellent reflective learning opportunities for our students and an additional chance for you to engage in open dialogue with them about how their work term is going.
Considering hiring a co-op student for Summer 2023?
You can post roles for the upcoming term at any time; simply submit the job description on our online form or email your job description to uoftcoop@utoronto.ca and we will be in touch.
As usual, we're more than happy to arrange interviews for you; these are now being conducted by phone or Skype. Simply identify which candidates you'd like to interview along with your preferred dates/times and we'll book the interviews on your behalf.
The Ontario Co-operative Education Tax credit is available to eligible employers who hire students for 10 weeks or more. Please refer to the Ontario Ministry of Finance website about the co-op tax credit for more details.
In addition to the co-op tax credit, the government has funding and wage subsidy programs in place to help support and offset costs related to employing co-op students; some as much as $7,000 per student. For details on what funding is available, visit our funding page or connect with us for an individualized consultation: uoftcoop@utoronto.ca.