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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)Co-op program vs Internship Co-op program vs InternshipQ. What is the difference between a Co-op program and an Internship. A. Co-operative Education is an educational program in which classroom instruction is alternated with semesters of work placement and performance evaluation in workplaces related to the field of study. An internship is a supervised on-the-job training, under the supervision of experienced workers, designed to give students in a professional field the required skills and knowledge for entry into a trade or profession. Bridging MechanismsQ. Is it possible to hire a student in a department once he or she has completed his/her studies? A. Recognizing the importance of student employment to Public Service renewal, the Public Service Commission (PSC) approved two measures in August 1998 to allow the appointment of students to the Public Service. One allows students to compete in advertised internal appointment processes: Deputy Heads may introduce a second measure with their non-advertised appointment framework; the other permits them to be appointed through a non-advertised appointment process. These bridging mechanisms place increased responsibility on departments to ensure that the initial selection and hiring of students is accomplished in keeping with the staffing values. Bridging mechanisms can also assist in the creation of a representative Public Service. Therefore, due regard should be given to ensuring that student hiring is representative of Canadian society. Duration of AssignmentsQ. What is the normal duration of the assignments? A. A student's academic institution determines the duration of each work assignment. Co-operative assignments traditionally last four months but internship assignments may vary from 4 to 18 months. Managers may offer students back-to-back work terms with prior approval of the academic institution. EnquiriesQ. Who should be contacted to obtain more information? R. Enquiries concerning cooperative education and/or internship initiatives in the Public Service of Canada should be addressed to the office of the Public Service Commission of Canada Co-op coordinator. Treasury Board SecretariatQ. Where can I find the documents relating to Student Employment on the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Web site? A. Treasury Board of Canada
Secretariat (TBS) Student Employment Policy: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) Student Employment Programs
in the Federal Government: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) Terms and Conditions of
Employment for Students (including rates of pay): EligibilityQ. Can a student from any Co-op or Internship Program be hired? A. No. Only those students enrolled in PSC-approved
Co-op and Internship programs can be recruited to work in the federal
Public Service under the context of this program. Those programs are
listed on the PSC Web site under "Approved Programs". Area of SelectionQ. How is the area of selection for a Co-op/Internship assignment determined? A. The key consideration in determining the area of selection is to ensure that it is large enough to yield a reasonable pool of qualified candidates at the end of the selection process. In recruiting Co-op and Internship students, the area of selection can be either geographic (e.g., students in the National Capital Region enrolled in PSC-approved Co-op/Internship programs) or organizational (e.g., Co-op/Internship students at the University of X). An area of selection cannot be established using provincial or territorial boundaries (or groupings of provincial/territorial boundaries) as this amounts to discriminating among persons primarily on the basis of the province or territory of residence, which contravenes the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Q. What things should be considered in defining an area of selection for a Co-op/Internship assignment? A. Departments should consider the following:
CitizenshipQ. If during the appointment process, it is deemed that a non-Canadian is qualified, can the non-Canadian be hired? A. No. In keeping with section 31 of the PSEA, Canadian citizens must be given preference when appointments are made. Accordingly, the work term must be offered to a qualified Canadian citizen, even if there is a more qualified non-Canadian candidate. Q. When no Canadian applicants qualify, or when there are not enough qualified Canadian candidates to meet my needs, can non-Canadian applicants, if assessed and found qualified, be appointed? A. Yes. If no Canadian applicants qualify or when there are not enough qualified Canadian candidates to meet the department's needs, non-Canadians who have qualified, should be appointed. However, non-Canadians who are selected must be legally entitled to work in Canada Learning PlansQ. Does a learning plan for Co-op/Internship students have to be prepared? A. Yes. The Treasury Board Student Employment Policy requires that learning plans be prepared for each assignment. The plan can be tailor-made or departments can use the generic plan supplied by the educational institution, combined with a description of the specific assignment. Moreover, departments are required to assess the student's progress. Feedback is an important component of the learning process, and a learning plan is essential because it sets out the goals to be achieved by students and provides a tool to assess their progress and the performance at the end of the assignment. |
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Updated: 2005-12-30 | Important Notices and Disclaimers |
