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COOPERATIVE EDUCATION TEACHERS

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION

What is Co-operative Education?
Is a unique learning opportunity that allows students to earn secondary school credits while completing a work placement. It allows for a unique learning opportunity for students that extends classroom learning into business, industry and the community.

What are the benefits for Co-op Students?

• Increases their self-knowledge while developing valuable skills, strengths and interests.
• Gain an understanding of the importance of attitude, teamwork and personal management skills.
• Enables students to "test drive" their career, which will allow them to make informed decisions about their post-secondary education and future decisions.
• Improves their employability skills.
• Ability to apply the curriculum knowledge to the work place.
• Experience hands on learning outside of the classroom.
• Gain hands-on work experience as students.
• Earn high school credits towards graduation.
• Develop goal setting, decision making and teamwork skills that contribute to a productive workforce.
• Identify and develop employability skills, leadership skills and an entrepreneurial attitude.
• Explore personal interests, abilities, and values.
• Interact with mentors/adult role models and begin to develop their own network.
• Experience the world of work.

HOW DOES CO-OP WORK? 

• Cooperative education courses include a classroom component that comprises of pre-placement and integration activities, and a work placement referred to as a placement component.
• Students may earn 2 or 4 school credits by integrating classroom theory and related course expectations with planned learning experience in the community.
• Placements provide students with challenging opportunities to apply and extend their knowledge and to practice and refine the skills acquired in the related course.
• Students will be able to demonstrate their achievement of placement expectationsthat reflect current workplace practices and standards.

PRE-PLACEMENT ORIENTATION
Prior to their placements, all cooperative education students must demonstrate an understanding of a variety of topics such as: health and safety issues, The Ontario Human Rights code, The Labour Relations Act, Workplace Safety Insurance Act, unions and collective bargaining.

INTEGRATION
The integration classroom component provides students with an opportunity to: relate their placement experience with curriculum expectation; reflect and analyse their placement experiences; and reinforce job-skills theory.

PLACEMENT 
An assessed work placement which meets Ministry of Education guidelines provides students an opportunity to develop their skills, personal growth and career exploration.

Students must demonstrate the learning expectations of a course in a practical work setting and are evaluated according to their ability to demonstrate those learning expectations.

STUDENT CO-OP EDUCATION LEARNING PLAN (SCELP) 

The teacher monitor, student and placement supervisor develop a Learning Plan. This plan identifies the curricu­lum expectations to be met, the tasks to be performed, and the meth­ods of evaluation. Revision to the Learning Plan may occur at any time during the work placement.

Cooperative Education can be taken in combination with Dual Credit Program

DUAL CREDIT PROGRAM

Earning High School and Post Secondary Credits

Students participate in apprenticeship training and postsecondary courses, earning dual credits that count towards both their high school diploma and their postsecondary diploma, degree or apprenticeship certification.

Dual Credits engage students through exposure to college courses and culture while supporting their successful transition to postsecondary education. 

Visit DPCDSB DUAL CREDITS

SPECIALIST HIGH SKILLS MAJOR (SHSM)

Specialist High Skills Majors let students focus on a career path that matches their skills and interests while meeting the requirements of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). 

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ONTARIO YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM (OYAP)

An OYAP student is a Grade 11 or 12 Co-op student who is working in an apprenticeship trade in one of the four sectors (e.g., Construction, Industrial, Motive Power and Service).

 Visit DPCDSB OYAP

Concentrated OYAP programs are specialized programs for students who have career plans to become an apprentice in a skilled trade. These programs offer senior secondary students an exciting opportunity to gain experience and skills towards apprenticeship qualifications, while still in high school.