Co-operative Internship & Experience Program
On Co-op, in partnership with its funder, Service Canada, launched the Co-operative Internship and Experience Program in 2002. It was created to respond to the need for wage-assisted employment opportunities within the co-operative sector. More importantly, the CIEP was designed to combine the co-op sector’s commitment to social and economic principle with its dedication to professional excellence, innovation and growth.
STATUS UPDATE ON 2012 CIEP PROGRAM
On Co-op has been informed that all Service Canada funding for internship programs across the province has been allocated until at least the government's new fiscal year beginning April 1st, 2012. As a result, we will not be able to hold our internship program until further notice. If you have any questions, please contact the CIEP Program Manager, Audrey Aczel at the co-ordinates located at the bottom of this page.
Career Focus and Skill-Building
Initially, CIEP was a skills-based program, directed at youth who were high school graduates and experiencing some sort of “barrier” to employment. Since 2007, the program has become a career-focused initiative, geared towards recent college and university graduates under 30, whose only “barrier” to employment is a lack of work experience. Please refer to the Intern Eligibility Criteria checklist, which all intern candidates MUST MEET in order to qualify for the program.
While the program is designed to focus on building upon the career skills and work experience of the interns, there is also a 3-day “Skills Enhancement & Workshop Series” in Guelph, Ontario during the 26-week program, which is mandatory for all interns to attend. Hosts will be notified of the dates before the interview process, to ensure that their candidates are available to attend.
- The workshops offer intern-participants a balance between soft skill development (e.g., communications, multi-tasking, team work and leadership, conflict resolution, workplace diversity, etc.) and providing them with a solid foundation of the co-operative model of business enterprise, the movement, and the sector in general. It is also a wonderful opportunity for interns to meet and practice their networking skills; guest speakers/workshop leaders are often from within the sector. Interns will also have the chance to visit with several local co-operatives to enhance their overall understanding of the model.
The program has been very successful in matching up talented young individuals with hosts who are in need of assistance in completing special projects and tasks. Many interns have found permanent or contract work within their host co-op or another co-operative upon completion of their placements!
Youth Engagement and Succession Planning
CIEP is about engaging and introducing today’s youth into the co-operative sector. Interns participate in a 26-week work placement, complemented by various learning and career development opportunities. This program has definite win-win benefits for both host employers and interns: it assists in giving interns a meaningful work experience and skills that are transferable to any line of work, and it addresses the growing need co-operatives have for fulfilling human resources voids within their organizations, and to include and empower today’s youth within them.
CIEP is a fantastic way to expose young people to the diversity that is the co-op sector, while creating our potential leaders and successors of tomorrow!
Success Indicators
The program has expanded significantly over the years and is eagerly anticipated by various host organizations each time it is offered by On Co-op. The following chart demonstrates how the program has grown since its inception in 2002, by the number of interns who have participated to the number of interns who have found full-time employment immediately after their placements ended.
Growth and Success Rate of Intern Graduates for Past Seven Years of Program
| 2002/ 2003 | 2003/ 2004 | 2004/ 2005 | 2006/ 2007 | 2007/ 2008 | 2009/ 2010 | 2010/ 2011 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Interns | 8 | 12 | 10 | 36 | 30 | 37 | 40 |
| Full-time Employment | 1 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 30 |
| Back to School | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Seeking Employment with Transferable Skills | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 6 |
CIEP is part of On Co-op’s Lifelong Co-operative Learning initiatives, and perhaps one of the most important steps in the integration of educated and enthusiastic young people into the co-operative sectors. Most interns who participate in the program come with little-to-no knowledge of the co-operative model or movement. Whether or not they remain in the sector after their placements end, they always leave the program with new-found knowledge and awareness of a unique business model, which they can then share with their peers and networks.
