ENHANCING CO-OP AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES THROUGH A STUDENT-DRIVEN MENTORSHIP PROGRAM Journal Articles uri icon

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abstract

  •  Abstract – McMaster’s University Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) Program has a mandatory 12-month cooperative (co-op) work experience as part of its academic requirements for graduation. To assist students in attaining co-op opportunities they must enroll in a career development credit course to equip them with vital knowledge and tools necessary to obtain and retain co-op work experiences. Students also receive ongoing support and guidance from Engineering Co-op & Career Services (ECCS) department, which connects students with employers and provides individual career counselling services. Despite this training and the availability of services, many students struggle to obtain workplace co-ops. In response the School of Engineering Practice and Technology (SEPT) implemented an undergraduate career peer co-op mentoring program as a further support mechanism to engage and motivate students. A pilot mentorship program was launched in 2014-15 for a select group of students and based on the positive response; an ongoing program was adopted and has run for the last two years. The program is formal in nature with a senior student mentor randomly matched with approximately 10-12 junior students as their mentees. To date, the program has impacted 362 second-year students (the mentees) and 36 senior students (the mentors). For the purposes of knowledge sharing, the paper will discuss the benefits of peer mentoring, the design and structure of the SEPT undergraduate career co-op peer mentoring program, feedback from participants, along with lessons learned from the outcomes of the last three years.