Career Education

The Career Team was actively engaged in enhancing students’ preparedness for their careers.

2,900+ undergraduate students accessed virtual and in-person career/co-op drop-in services, career advising appointments, and co-op appointments.

1,600+ undergraduate students increased their career readiness through workshops.

70+ graduate students accessed career and mentorship services.

100+ graduate students increased their career readiness by attending events.

Cooperative Education

The Co-op program was actively expanding, increasing student earnings, and introducing numerous new initiatives.

Co-op students earned a total of over $4.5 million this year.

 

We grew co-op admissions by 56 students in 2023.
Science students applied for over 6,000 co-op roles on OSCARplus.

We partnered with 237 employers.
We posted over 1,500 Science co-op positions.

Science co-op students completed 630 co-op work terms.
We held 100+ Science co-op events and workshops, providing opportunities for students to connect with employers, fellow students and alumni.

 

New Initiatives

Advancing Tomorrow’s Science Careers

The Advancing Tomorrow’s Science Careers project has been awarded funding for two years from McMaster’s Strategic Alignment Fund. There are two components to the project as follows:

Through the Science Career Competency Framework, we will work with students, employers and faculty to identify the set of competencies (or professional skills) that are (and will be) most important to employer partners. From there, we will seek to ensure students acquire these competencies during their education.

Design Your Science Career is the second project component. Drawing on the vast success and popularity of Stanford University’s “Design Your Life” model, we will create programming that will empower students to think deeply and creatively about the lives and careers they want and empower them with the tools and skills to innovate and build careers and lives that align with their values, leverage their talents and interests and are authentic and meaningful.

Life Science Breakfast Networking Event

The March 27 Life Sciences alumni networking event entitled ‘What can you do with a Life Sciences degree?’, a partnership between Science Career and Cooperative Education and The Student Success Centre was huge success! 50 eager Life Sciences students were there bright and early to meet program alumni and employers and to learn about their career paths. The event was such a hit with students and alumni, that we decided to do it annually.

 

McMaster Co-op Student of the Year Winner

SCCE runs Co-op Student of the Year Awards each year. The awards recognize outstanding students in the Cooperative Education program. Students are nominated by their co-op employer. A committee comprising the Director of SCCE, a faculty member and alumni work together to select one winner and one student for honourable mention for levels three, four and five. This year, one of our Faculty of Science winning students, Emma Adamson De Luca, Biology and Pharmacology student, was awarded the 2022 McMaster Co-op student of the Year. In addition, Emma was recognized for honourable mention in Canada by CEWIL. This win comes after Rameen Jamil won the Ontario Co-op Student of The Year award for 2021.

Science Career Expo

We expanded the Co-op Symposium this year and created an opportunity for our co-op students, who were returning from their summer co-op could share their early science career experiences with all science students.

Co-op students prepared poster presentations and enhanced their presentation and communication skills as they share valuable career insights and industry knowledge with their peers at the Science Career Expo on September 13.

Building on this, we added booths to share information about Global Experience opportunities and supports, academic advising and supports for students, showcased the Office for Undergraduate Research and shared information about new programming such as Design Your Science Career and The Science Career Competency Framework.

Presenting students were able to avail of a special Linked In Headshot event and nine students were selected for cash prizes for their exceptional enthusiasm and communication skills at the event.

Advancing Tomorrow’s Actuaries (ATA)

8 ATA students successfully completed their coop work placements with our ATA employer partner, Co-operators General Insurance Company. The goal? To redefine the learning experience for our third year Actuarial Financial Mathematics (AFM) co-op students by “bridging the gap” between academia and the workplace. The employer feedback survey quoted, “The students exceeded our expectations. They learned our processes very early into their work terms and made valuable contributions to our projects.”

Collaboration to Promote Student Co-op Success for Students Needing Additional Supports

SCCE, in collaboration with the Student Success Centre and the Model program, commenced a partnership to address the needs of students who could benefit from additional support to maximize their potential for coop success. This exciting initiative brings together joint programming, immigration support services, language support, additional career development supports, wage subsidy funding supports, and additional sessions over the summer and fall.