COOPERATIVE EDUCATION AT F.E.S.S.

What is Cooperative Education?
Cooperative Education is a planned learning experience, for which credits are granted. This program enables students to apply and refine the knowledge and skills acquired in a related secondary school course to the workplace. Cooperative Education allows students the opportunity to preview a career before committing a substantial amount of time and money to post-secondary education and training.

Fort Erie Secondary School
A coop story
Eric Griffi was a two-period coop who completed his placement in Pharmaceuticals at the Fort Erie location of Shoppers Drug Mart.
Eric was able to expand and refine his chemistry and biology knowledge while gaining valuable experience that would help him succeed in his post-secondary endeavors.
Eric is currently studying at Brock University where he is on course to becoming a pharmacist himself. Eric credits his coop experience for assisting him in................................................. The excellent work ethic that Eric demonstrated while at his coop placement earned him a part-time position at Shoppers, a job he currently still holds while attending Brock.

What are the benefits of taking coop to students?
Students are able to:
- participate in a “real’ workplace environment.
- investigate possible career options prior to investing time and money into specific training.
- relate their secondary school learning to a career of their choice.
- expand their employability skills and network base
- learn on equipment that they might not be able to have in a school setting
- the skills and attitudes necessary to succeed in the workplace.

Who is involved?
Cooperative Education is a partnership among education and business that involves students, teachers, parents and business partners.
The Cooperative Education Teacher will interview the student to find a placement that meets the student’s needs and career goal. The placement must also relate to a subject that is currently being taken or has taken previously.

What students will learn?
-To learn how to look for a job
- To write a resume and prepare for an interview
- To receive on-the-job training in a related subject area
- About the Occupational Health and Safety Act
- About the Employment Standards Act & the Ontario Human Rights Act
- Their Rights and Responsibilities at a workplace
- To work in a safe and appropriate manner
- About Labour Unions in the Workplace
- To work in a team-like setting or as an individual
- The skills and attitudes necessary to succeed in the workplace

How are credits earned?
Students are at a work site for a specific number of hours for the duration of the semester. Cooperative Education teachers and Principals grant credits based on the number of hours worked. Students must also complete specific assignments and submit weekly log sheets to the teacher on a regular basis.
Students attempting to earn coop credits are required to log 110 hours for each credit.
As of the 2005-06 school year, students can now count up to two Cooperative Education credits towards the 18 compulsory credits needed for a high school diploma.

HOW ARE STUDENTS SELECTED FOR COOP
Students select Cooperative Education as an option when selecting their courses for the next school year.

Students should be 16 years of age if they require WSIB coverage for their placement. It is strongly recommended that all coop student have applied for their Social Insurance Number also.

Students can select one of the following formats for Coop at FESS:
a) a 2 period coop - 220 hours (either all morning or all afternoon)
b) a 4 period coop - 440 hours (all day in the workplace)
c) a 1 period coop - 110 hours (accommodates students who can only fit in one period for coop courses. This is usually a Peer tutoring experience).

Students are interviewed on the first day of school to assess their individual learning preferences and placement possibilities. Placements are arranged according to the needs of the student.

Students are required to complete the entire Pre-orientation program before they are placed in their individual placements.

THE FORT ERIE SECONDARY SCHOOL COOP PROGRAM OUTLINE
Pre-orientation:

Students are in class for the first two weeks of the semester. Students are instructed on the course expectations and receive instruction that has been deemed necessary for success and safety in the workplace.
Instructional units:
- Ready for Work - workplace attitude and expectations
- Daily Activity Reporting
- Safety in the Workplace - 7 Things Young Workers Should Know
- WHMIS and Passport to Safety
- Employment Standards Act
- Ontario Human Rights Code
- Confidentiality in the Workplace
- Labour Unions
- Harassment in the Workplace
- Interview Preparation
- Personalize Placement Plan development

Placement:
Students are expected to put in approximately three hours a day for each two credit section.
PLACEMENTS ARE ARRANGED BY THE TEACHER as per Ontario Ministry of Education policy.
Placements are assessed by the teacher prior to commencement to ensure that it is a suitable learning environment.
Employers are responsible for site-specific Health and Safety training to have the student supervised while completing this portion of the program.

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

The student in a Cooperative Education program will be assessed and evaluated in the following manner:

Classroom and Placement Learning Assessment 30%
- Pre-orientation
- Reflective Sessions
- Teacher Monitors
Placement and Employer Assessments 40%
- Weekly log submissions
- Placement Surveys
Final Assessment 30%
- Employability Portfolio Interview
- Reflective Placement Essay

TOTAL 100 MARKS