Planning makes perfect. Co-op student Megan Sullivan and her M.T.O. boss Andrew Healy prepare their plans for the day before heading out. Story and photo by Chris Thibeault
Steve Tanner is not your average teacher as it is his job to manage better than ten percent of Widdifield's student population outside of the school.
Tanner runs the co-op program at the high school and this semester he has 125 students out at a variety businesses and industries around the area at any given time.
He notes that the program is open to any student so that makes it a high volume program.
“Our motto at Widdifield is Not if you take co-op -- it’s when.”
“So, there is not any student who is at some point in their academic career here worthy of going out of the building and representing the school,” Tanner explained.
Co-operative education is a program that provides high school students with the opportunity to gain real work experience while earning credits to graduate. Students are matched up with employers across the area after a skill assessment and interview process. This process provides Tanner with the tools to find the best matches for both the student and employer. The 18 week course is more personal than most because students conduct a great deal of self-examination.
Students take co-op for many reasons, such as exploring career fields before committing to a post-secondary course, or exploring the workforce before becoming part of it.
“One of the neat things about co-op at the high school level is that by the time the kids end up finishing grade 12, hopefully they have had a chance to test drive one or two occupations and that can confirm if it’s a really nice fit,” Tanner said.
For example, Megan Sullivan, a grade 12 student, is placed with the Ministry of Transportation’s Planning and Environmental Section for her full day co-op. She says taking a co-op was logical in her case because her two brothers benefited from the program, plus she has been accepted to the Environmental Tech program at Canadore College.
“I’ve heard some nice things about (co-op), and really, I have a set mind on what I want to do for a career. When I heard about the M.T.O. and their environmental section I was pretty much set on it,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan’s boss, Andrew Healy, an Environmental Planner with the Ministry says Sullivan is currently helping on a project that identifies hot spots in the city where vehicle collisions occur with wildlife. He says co-op is an important tool for students to get their foot in the door of their chosen careers.
“I think it`s important because we are such a small community in North Bay,” he explains.
“When you are working with such a localized field, you need to know who all of the other players are in the city.”
Although co-op often leads to finding the right career, sometimes it confirms that a job is not what the student had in mind.
“A young lady, well, she knew what it took to become a nurse by making academic decisions to support that post-secondary path. She got into a nursing setting and she quickly realized, ‘this is not what I want’,” Tanner explained.
“My biggest concern as a student advocate is that they are learning something. There are standard questions we ask (of the students) ‘are you safe, happy, and productive’,” he said.
If the student says no to any of the questions, Tanner steps in on behalf of the student but this seldom occurs. Some students have had a hard time with co-op because they entered the co-op program before being ready.
“It is usually considered a senior elective, but we have some grade 10’s who are working ahead, or who are struggling. Every situation brings its own circumstances,” Tanner clarified.
Sullivan happens to be a great example of the co-op working the way it is intended and she is confident her placement will help her transition into her post secondary career with ease.
“I’m learning a lot for what I could potentially be doing. Like all of the wildlife and environmental aspects of my job,” she said.
Tanner adds that the resume and job searching skills learned will benefit even the struggling students. Moreover, co-ops tend to help both students and employers.
“The employers also get free labour,” he says jokingly.
“But, as trade-off, they have to train the student to do some meaningful work. So it’s not just, ‘here’s a grunt to pick up our garbage for 18 weeks’,” he adds with a serious tone.
He says it is a great way to show students that the North Bay area has much to offer, and could potentially keep students here instead of having them leave for bigger cities. As well, he says that co-op is a unique opportunity that students have to also gain experience using industry standard equipment that high school budgets seldom afford.
“It’s real life stuff. It’s not scenarios, so there is real value to it,” he said.
Healy agrees and says that he wants Sullivan to leave her co-op with a solid experience relating to all aspects of her field.
“I hope she has a foundation of some of the different areas so she can chose which she might be more interested in,” he said.
“I’d definitely recommend it,” Sullivan says of the program.
