CIEP - Interns
On this page…
- Intern Eligibility Criteria
- Recruitment Process
- Intern Obligations
- Required Forms
- Internship Job Postings
Welcome and thank you for your consideration in becoming an intern with the Co-operative Internship and Experience Program (CIEP)! The first intake of the program will begin on September 27th, 2010. The deadline for sending in your resumes and cover letters, once the job descriptions are posted, is Friday, August 27th, 2010. The following information is meant to provide you with basic information required to participate in the program.
Intern Eligibility Criteria
The Co-operative Internship and Experience Program is a partnership agreement between the funder, Service Canada and the administrator, On Co-op. It is designed specifically to provide youth, who have recently graduated from a post-secondary institution, with an opportunity to build on their career skills and gain meaningful work experience.
Important Notes:
- This is not a school-based co-op placement in the traditional sense. It is a “co-operative internship” because intern placements are held with host employers who are made up of co-operatives and credit unions located across the province of Ontario.
A co-operative and credit union is structured and operated differently from traditional types of businesses, such as a grocery store or bank for example. There are more than 1300 co-ops in Ontario, with more than 1900 locations in 400 communities. Click here to read more about What is a Co-op? - This internship program is designed specifically for YOUTH (30 and under), as a means to provide this demographic with relevant work experience after completing their post-secondary studies. This criteria is stipulated in our contractual agreement with Service Canada under the Youth Employment Strategy program, and is by no means meant to be age discriminatory. Other programs exist for individuals who do not meet this criteria, and you are encouraged to contact your local employment agency for more information on other employment programs.
In order to be eligible to participate in the CIEP, all candidates must meet the following basic criteria:
- 30 years of age or under
- A recent university or college graduate
- Not enrolled in a university or college course (at the time of application/participation)
- Available for full-time employment (35 hours per week)
- A Canadian citizen or legally entitled to work in Canada
- Not currently receiving or eligible for EI benefits
- Has never participated in a Youth Employment Strategy (YES) internship in the past
If you meet ALL these criteria, then please, read on! If you are not eligible for the program, we encourage you to investigate other internship or job placement programs offered by other types of organizations that may be geared to integrate diverse demographics into the working world.
Recruitment Process/Applying for a Position
To become an intern, take a few minutes to read the information provided on this website (in particular, the “Interns” and “General Overview” pages), and to gain a better understanding of what kind of internship program you are applying for, as well as your obligations and responsibilities.
The following 8 steps outline the process for applying to the CIEP:
- Candidate meets the eligibility criteria (as outlined above)
- Candidate reads job postings on Service Canada Job Bank and/or the detailed job descriptions posted to this website -- once they are made available for public viewing.
- Candidate determines which position(s) they are interested in and qualified for and emails a copy of cover letter and resume to CIEP Project Manager by the application deadline -- clearly identifying which position they are applying for and in which city the job is located, in the subject line of the email.
TWO THINGS TO NOTE: (1) Any emails received without this information will not be considered, due to the sheer influx of resumes we receive for this program in a very restricted period of time, and (2) Candidates must send a separate cover letter and resume for each position they are applying for. - On Co-op screens resumes to ensure that (1) candidate meets basic eligibility requirement, and (2) candidate’s education and area of interest are suitable matches for the host employer’s needs and requirements.
- On Co-op then forwards cover letters and resumes to the host employers for consideration. At this point, it is entirely up to the host employer to determine which candidates they would like to meet.
- Host employer contacts top candidates to set up an interview.
- Interview takes place and host employer makes a hiring decision, and notifies all candidates interviewed of the results.
- Intern is hired and completes all the required paperwork with host employer, before beginning the placement.
Important Note: Resumes emailed to ciep [at] ontario [dot] coop will be automatically acknowledged by On Co-op. Intern candidates are strongly discouraged from contacting On Co-op to inquire further about the status of their application. We receive far too many resumes to track and we simply do not have the time to provide this level of individual attention to each application. Please do not email your application to any other On Co-op or host email address!
Intern Obligations
1. Timing and Fulfillment: Candidates must be available to begin their internships by September 13, 2010 and work 35 hours per week. There is no flexibility on the start and end dates of the program, and interns are expected to complete the entire 26-week placement from start to finish.
2. Compensation and Timesheets: Interns will be paid bi-weekly by the host employer at the determined rate (minimum rate is $13.25/hour). They will be paid mandatory employment related costs (vacation, CPP, EI). There is no vacation entitlement during the course of the internship, and interns should discuss any required days off with their host during the interview stage, to determine how the time will be made up. Interns must submit a monthly timesheet (see below) to On Co-op by the 5th day of each month (for the previous month), so that their host organization can be reimbursed.
3. 3-Day Workshop Series: Candidates must attend a mandatory “Skills Enhancement & Workshop Series” located at the TraveLodge Inn and Suites in Guelph, Ontario. The conference usually takes place within the first 6 weeks of the internship, and interns are paid by their host employer as regular days worked. A sample itinerary from a past workshop series is included as a reference.
While interns are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to and from the conference, all travel costs for the 3-day workshop series will be fully reimbursed to them. In addition, On Co-op will arrange for and cover the cost of all meals and accommodations during the entire conference. Interns must submit an Expense Report (see below), along with original copies of travel receipts to and from the conference, in order to be reimbursed.
4. Site Visits: At some point during the internship, the CIEP Project Manger may chose to conduct a “check-in” by phone and/or a site visit in person, with both intern and host at a mutually convenient time. These are informal talks or visits to evaluate how the internship is progressing. Interns are encouraged to contact the CIEP Project Manager at any point during the program, should they have any questions or concerns.
5. Final Evaluations: Interns will be required to complete some paper work at the end of the internship, including a final evaluation form. This information is mainly used to compile information for Service Canada, evaluate how the internship went overall, as well as to provide On Co-op with some feedback and testimonials to be potentially used for the website, or promotion of the program in general.
Required Forms
The following forms are used at both the beginning of and/or throughout the internship, and have been provided here for easy access.
