Career Services and Co-operative Education 2022-2023 Annual Report

Career Advising

The Career Services office, also referred to as the Career Centre, is Carleton University’s one-stop shop that provides year-round career advising services to students and alumni of all programs and years of study.

Career Services staff help students and alumni explore labour market trends, understand how their field of study translates into employment prospects, articulate to employers the career competencies they have honed during their academic studies, and more. Career Services also supports students and alumni with practical tips and tools for resumes, cover letters, CVs, personal statements, building LinkedIn profiles, and effectively navigating networking platforms.

CAREER ADVISING SERVICES

For the 2022-2023 academic year, all career advising services were offered virtually and in person, by booked appointment and drop-in.

Career Advising Sessions

Career Services conducted a total of 3,166 career advising sessions throughout the 2022-2023 academic year, an increase of 43% compared to the previous year.

Students Served

Throughout the 2022-2023 academic year, 1,937 unique individuals attended a career advising session. Of the 1,937 individuals, 62% received services in person.

3,166 Career advising sessions throughout the 20222023 academic year

733

Unique individuals attended a virtual career advising session

1,549

Number of unique individuals that attended who were at the undergraduate level

ACCESSIBLE CAREER TRANSITIONS

Accessible Career Transitions (ACT) is a specialized career advising program that provides highly-individualized career support to Carleton University students and alumni who identify as having a disability. Through the ACT program, participants can book one-on-one career advising appointments with a dedicated ACT Advisor and receive regular email communications about ACT program updates, job postings from inclusive employers, and notices about employment-related workshops and learning opportunities. ACT Advising appointments are a chance for participants to:

Ÿ Formulate key career documents, such as resumes and cover letters.

Ÿ Gain effective job search and interview strategies.

Ÿ Explore and discuss career ideas or concerns.

Ÿ Identify and practice articulating their transferable skills and strengths.

Ÿ Understand how to use a strengths-based approach to request workplace accommodations and disclose their disability to employers.

There were 397 ACT sessions conducted from May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023. There continued to be an increase in booked appointments this year and a decrease in “no show” appointments. The ACT program’s growth increased during the 2022-2023 academic year, gaining 191 new registrants through referrals from:

Ÿ Academic Advising

Ÿ ACT to Employ

Ÿ Career Services’ Instagram

Ÿ Career Services office

Ÿ Career Services’ website

Ÿ Employers

Ÿ Enriched Support Program

Ÿ Paul Menton Centre for Disabilities (PMC)

Ÿ Professors

Ÿ State of the Raven

Ÿ Student Affairs

Ÿ Student Experience Office (SEO)

Ÿ Student Services Fair

Ÿ Submissions from the registration form on the ACT website

Ÿ Word of mouth

This brings the total number of students and alumni registered with the ACT program to 1,484; a 15% increase in new registrants compared to the previous academic year.

397 ACT sessions conducted

191 New registrants

“I wanted to let you know that I have recently received two separate job offers! Thank you so much for all of your help! When we started our sessions, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my future, and now I will be gaining experience in a career field I am really interested in. I really appreciate all the time you spent helping me.”

– ACT Advising student

Highlights from 2022-2023

Ÿ Facilitated workshops on self-advocacy and employability through the PMC Launch to Campus events.

Ÿ Facilitated two workshops for the Carleton Disability Awareness Centre (CDAC) Employability Week.

Ÿ Facilitated a class presentation on job searching as a person with a disability, which included information about workplace disclosure and accommodations.

Ÿ Connected students and alumni with external employment agencies.

Ÿ ACT Advising participants reported successful job searches and graduate program admissions following individualized advising meetings.

Ÿ There was a noted increase in referral sources on campus, signifying greater recognition and reach across the university.

UNDECLARED ADVISING PROGRAM

The Undeclared Advising Program is a proactive career exploration initiative. This program invites students admitted into the Bachelor of Arts (BA) Undeclared Program to meet with a Career Counsellor for specialized career advising sessions. The goal of this program is to provide BA Undeclared students with an opportunity to explore their major and career options, and ultimately help them declare a major.

The Undeclared Advising Program’s success is measured by comparing how many BA Undeclared students who participated in the program declared a major by the end of winter semester to how many BA Undeclared students declared a major after not participating in the program.

Results of the 2022-2023 Undeclared Advising Program: For the fifth year in a row, the Undeclared Advising Program

has proven to be a successful initiative in helping students explore their areas of academic interest and make the decision to declare a major. This academic year, 71% of the students who participated in the Undeclared Advising Program declared their major, compared to 42% the previous year.

59

Total number of BA Undeclared students in 2022-2023

35

Students attended an Undeclared Advising session

25 71%

24 Undeclared Advising Program participants declared a major by April 2023

Students who chose not to participate in the Undeclared Advising Program

6 25% Students out of the 24 who did not participate ended up declaring a major by April 2023

Career Events

Career Services and Co-operative Education hosted many virtual and in-person recruitment, outreach, and skill development events throughout the 2022-2023 academic year. These events were designed to help students explore their interests, increase their career-readiness, learn about jobs and organizations in their fields, and connect with employers and recruiters so they can begin building their professional networks.

CAREER FAIRS

Career Services held three virtual career fairs throughout the 2022-2023 academic year. The Fall, Winter, and Spring Career Fairs were offered in October, January, and March, respectively. These virtual career fairs were hosted using Brazen, an online event platform.

Virtual Fall Career Fair

Number of Organizations in Attendance:

76 Number of Students in Attendance

1,566

Virtual Winter Career Fair

Number of Organizations in Attendance:

76

Virtual Spring Career Fair

Number of Organizations in Attendance:

69

There were an additional 43 companies that attended a career fair in the 2022-2023 academic year compared to the previous academic year, an increase of 23%. The most popular organizations, by number of chats completed, were Canada Revenue Agency, Ericsson, and Cisco Systems. The 2022-2023 virtual career fairs generated a combined total of $92,500 in revenue

Total Employer-Student Conversations:

5,218

Number of Students in Attendance:

1,523

Number of Students in Attendance:

1,186

Most Visited Booth: Canada Revenue Agency (chats completed)

258

Total Employer-Student Conversations:

4,880

Total Employer-Student Conversations:

3,744

Most Visited Booth: Ericsson (chats completed)

226

Most Visited Booth: Cisco Systems (chats completed)

214

A screenshot of the lobby in a virtual career fair

FACULTY REQUESTS

Over the course of the academic year, Career Services is often asked by instructors, professors, on-campus departments, and student groups to deliver in-class workshops and/or career presentations. As students often look to faculty, student support services staff, and student leaders for career guidance and employment advice, these workshops (also referred to as Faculty Requests) are a key opportunity for Career Services to build relationships with individual faculty members, student support services departments, and student groups to collaborate and support the career development needs of students.

In line with the Employability Framework, these workshops and presentations equip students to recognize the skills gained in the classroom, to identify the opportunities available to them outside of the classroom, and to make connections to their skill development so they are better able to articulate their skills when seeking employment upon graduation.

The Career Services team delivered a total of 195 Faculty Request workshops throughout the 2022-2023 academic year. This is a growth of 40% compared to last year.

“I am thrilled with the support that [the team at] Career Services [has] provided to my students. They are always willing to think outside the box (and to rein me back in when necessary) to create an exceptional learning environment in which students can understand their developing career competencies from the term-long community engagement project. Students have gained facility and confidence in seeing their transferrable skills and being able to express those skills in terms attractive to prospective employers.”

– Dr. Deborah Connors, Instructor II, Department of Sociology and Anthropology

“This workshop was very interesting, and I feel like it was very beneficial especially speaking as a first year. Many of us believe that everyone knows their paths and is super confident in themselves. After this presentation I feel like I can take my time to determine specifically what field I’m interested in and even examine fields that I never thought my degree could go into. Overall it was very eye opening!

– First Year Seminar course, Your Career Starts Now Workshop

From these 195 Faculty Requests, 82 Faculty Requests were related to the career competencies developed through the Employability Framework; a growth of 204% from last year.

Through these 195 Faculty Requests, Career Services was able to reach 6,275 students. This is an increase of 47% compared to last year.

Over the course of the year, Career Services noted the following Faculty Request trends:

Ÿ Increase in workshops for students in Engineering and Design; 56 workshops facilitated in 2022-2023 compared to five workshops facilitated the previous academic year, resulting in a 1,020% increase.

Ÿ Increase in workshop requests from other administrative departments, including collaborations with the International Student Services Office (ISSO), Student Experience Office (SEO), PASS Facilitators through the Centre for Student Academic Support (CSAS), and the Centre for Indigenous Support and Community Engagement.

Ÿ Most requests were from instructors within the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) and Engineering and Design.

Ÿ 73% of workshops were held in person in the classroom.

Ÿ Increase to the number of workshops for fourth-year capstone courses from Engineering and Design, FASS, and Science.

CAREER WORKSHOPS

Navigating the Canadian Workplace: Career Workshop Series and International Alumni Panel

Navigating the Canadian Workplace is a career workshop series that offers Carleton’s international students the opportunity to learn about Canadian hiring processes, skills identification, goal setting, networking, conducting a successful job search and interview, and more.

Career Services continued the virtual, self-directed workshop series for the 2022-2023 academic year, with the workshops held in both the fall and winter semesters. Students could view each workshop recording, complete related assignments, and review the slides and resources at their own pace over an eight-week period. Students who viewed all five workshops and completed all eight workshop assignments were eligible to earn the Navigating the Canadian Workplace Participant acknowledgement on their Co-Curricular Record (CCR).

A total of 107 students registered for the series throughout the 2022-2023 academic year (56 in fall term and 51 in winter term).

In the winter semester, as a complement to the workshop series, Career Services also held an optional in-person panel event. Students who attended the panel heard from four panelists who were from Science, Arts (Law and Psychology), and Business Administration. The panelists discussed effective job search strategies, cultural differences in the Canadian workplace, and how upskilling can expand career options. A total of 39 students registered for the event, with 12 students attending.

LinkedIn Profile Building Workshop

Career Services’ LinkedIn Profile Building Workshop series continues to grow to meet students’ needs. This year, the LinkedIn workshop was split into two parts: “How to Develop a Strong Professional LinkedIn Profile” and “Tips to Optimize LinkedIn Profile Views.”

Part one of the series focused on building a LinkedIn profile, content suggestions, and LinkedIn Learning. Part two covered more subtle aspects of LinkedIn in relation to networking and career exploration. Topics included how to make use of a customized LinkedIn URL, how to tweak a LinkedIn profile to catch the attention of recruiters, and how to effectively leverage the newsfeed to engage with the right people.

The 2022-2023 LinkedIn workshops took place via Zoom. A total of 29 students attended part one and 13 students attended part two.

Careers in Social Services and Community Development

Career Services hosted an employer panel that focused on Careers in Social Services and Community Development, and was designed for undergraduate students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences and Public Affairs. The event was moderated by a co-op student and featured representatives from Options Bytown, Interval House Ottawa, Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, and Spark LifeCare. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the rewards and challenges of working in social services and community development, explore entry-level positions that are available, and receive valuable advice and insights into this career field. The event was attended by 30 highly engaged students. Based on the success of this event, Career Services plans to continue organizing similar sessions to provide recruitment information to BA students.

From Campus to Career: Bridging the Gap with Workplace Etiquette

Career Services launched a new virtual workshop during winter term with the goal of supporting students who are venturing into professional employment. Bridging the Gap with Workplace Etiquette addressed the dos and don’ts

of appropriate workplace behaviour and actions in the workplace. Some topics discussed included office, virtual, and remote workplace etiquette; mastering appropriate language in the workplace; understanding and assessing industry-specific workplace culture; and tips on salary negotiation conversations. This workshop was attended by 16 students.

Prepare for the Fair

This year, Career Services hosted eight virtual resume review workshops and three in-person Pop-ups to support students and alumni attending the Fall, Winter, and Spring Career Fairs. In total, Career Services supported 610 students and alumni, which also included 253 resume reviews. Students were further supported with resources on elevator pitches, navigating the career fairs, and virtual networking tips and best practices.

Employability Programs

In order to help students gain experience and increase their job-readiness, Career Services encourages students to get involved in its employability skills development programs. These programs help students meet industry professionals, develop in-demand transferable skills, test their knowledge, and make connections between classroom learning and real-world workplace requirements. Enhancing students’ employability skills allows them to gain a better understanding of the knowledge, skills, and educational requirements they may need to achieve their career goals.

CAMPUS RECRUITMENT PACKAGES

The Campus Recruitment Packages were designed to provide employer partners with a range of options to best support their recruitment needs, while also ensuring effective engagement for students and new grads with recruiting employers. Here is a look at the current packages:

Featured Job

Featured Jobs allow employers to promote their organization along with a specific job opportunity. This package includes prominent placement of the employer logo and job opportunity on the main student page of mySuccess, as well as promo on Career Services’ social media channels leading up to the application deadline.

Event Promotion

This package is designed to promote an organization and their unique career event more broadly to Carleton students. It includes a post on the mySuccess events calendar, as well as promotion of the event across Career Services’ social media channels leading up to the event.

Recruitment Information Session

This package offers employers a full range of supports to recruit Carleton talent to their organization. With this package, the Career Services team works closely with employers to plan the event and showcase the organization to Carleton students and new grads. The team promotes the employer through various avenues, including targeting

By the Numbers

11

students in specific faculties and programs, and more broadly across Career Services’ social media channels.

Grad School Information Session

This package allows educational institutions to promote their master’s, Ph.D., diploma, and professional training and certification programs to a targeted group of students.

RECRUITMENT INFORMATION SESSIONS

This year, Career Services expanded its Recruitment Information Sessions, providing the option for employers to choose between virtual and in-person events. This flexible approach has provided employers with the opportunity to choose the format that works best for their organization, and the Career Services team provides professional guidance to assist with their selection. In addition to virtual and in-person sessions, employers have also had the option of on-campus booths, which have been a successful alternative for niche and high-volume-opportunity employers who are looking to attract walk-by traffic.

Highlights from 2022-2023

Canada Revenue Agency: Hosted two virtual recruitment information sessions to discuss their employment opportunities in IT for current students, new graduates, and alumni. One session was a general session for students and the other session prioritized attendance for students with disabilities. In total, the events had 225 students in attendance.

Cavanagh Construction: Hosted an in-person recruitment information session for the first time to promote their internships, co-op, and new grad opportunities to Civil and Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering students. The event had 85 students in attendance. Cavanagh collected digital resumes through a QR code during the event.

City of Ottawa: Hosted a virtual recruitment information session to discuss their co-op and summer employment opportunities. The event had 148 students in attendance.

Kinaxis: Hosted an in-person recruitment information session to discuss their co-op, internships, and new graduate career opportunities. The event had 375 students in attendance.

PCL Construction Parliament Centre Block Tour: In honour of Women in Construction Week, PCL Construction hosted a site tour for 15 female Carleton students in Architecture and Civil and Mechanical Engineering. The goal was to promote PCL career opportunities, offer a chance to network with women in various divisions of the company, and highlight the scope of this historic construction project.

ACT TO EMPLOY

The ACT to Employ program continues to grow every term. In 2022 and early 2023, ACT to Employ added to its number of program registrants, community and campus-based employer partners, and successful student placements. ACT to Employ staff continue to provide holistic support to employer partners and to Carleton students with disabilities.

The ACT to Employ team continues to be flexible with a hybrid model, providing student support in person and virtually, depending on individual students’ needs. Students continue to receive support throughout the application process, the interview stage, and during placement. As employers continue to navigate post-pandemic changes, ACT to Employ continues to encourage the creation of inclusive opportunities that emphasize accessible practices and include flexible work arrangements.

This year, the ACT to Employ Student Counsellor introduced the ACT to Employ Resource Hub through Brightspace. A series of career development modules based on Career Services’ Career Competencies, the Hub provides resources and information about professionalism, communication, career documents, disclosure, accommodations, and more, to all ACT to Employ participants.

The ACT to Employ team took part in a number of events this year:

Ÿ Presented at the Ontario Staffing Council’s Annual Symposium and at an Inter-University Disability Issues Association meeting.

“ACT to Employ is an absolute game changer for students with disabilities. Prior to meeting with their team, I fully believed that I was incapable of a path in academia, doubting my competence and skill set. ACT to employ showed such genuine support, care, and interest, immediately connecting me to a job that has been nothing short of transformational. It is their support from the very beginning that pushed me to break through my self-limits and set myself on a much brighter path for the future. Thanks to this team, I have gained unique opportunities, connected and worked with inspirational people, and gained invaluable skills and knowledge that I will continue to use throughout my career/life.

Ÿ Attended the Cannexus 2022 Conference.

Ÿ Facilitated employer presentations to various government departments and connected with other Canadian postsecondary institutions.

ACT to Employ Placements

During ACT to Employ’s fourth year as a standalone program, awareness of – and interest in – the program continued to increase. Through a combination of remote and campusbased subsidized placements and external positions, ACT to Employ successfully supported 310 student work placements

– ACT to Employ student

from May 2022 to April 2023. This was an increase of more than 80 placements from the previous year.

Spring/Summer 2022

Positions Supported: 115

Most Placements: Paul Menton Centre, Office of Risk Management, Registrar’s Office, Service Canada

Fall 2022

Positions Supported: 104

Most Placements: Department of Recreation and Athletics, Office of Risk Management, Ontario Chamber of Commerce

Winter 2023

Positions Supported: 91

Most Placements: Paul Menton Centre, Student Experience Office, Department of Recreation and Athletics, Registrar’s Office, Office of Risk Management

INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

International internships provide students with the opportunity to work internationally for academic credit. Internships are an excellent way for students to gain realworld experience, develop industry contacts, and build their

professional resumes to market themselves for future career opportunities, all while experiencing life in a new country and culture.

The International Internship Program is open to all undergraduate students, but is also an instrumental piece in satisfying the International Experience Requirement for students in the Bachelor of Global and International Studies (BGInS) program. While students from all academic backgrounds are recruited to participate in international internships, there is also a separate course dedicated to students in the BGInS program.

This past year, while continuing to navigate changes related to the pandemic, the International Internship team worked with established global partners to provide both in-person and virtual internships. This allowed students to gain international work experience while adhering to local public health restrictions.

The virtual internship option was first launched in summer 2020 and has continued to be a rewarding experiential learning opportunity for Carleton students who are interested in gaining degree-related international work experience and academic credit, but need or want to work remotely. Students shared that they appreciated the flexibility and accessibility

the virtual program offers. This is a unique option for students to obtain experience and credit at a lower cost, reducing the financial barrier to participation. Because of this success, virtual internships are now offered throughout the academic year in addition to the traditional in-country programming in the summer.

In May 2022, the team prepared for the first in-person student travel since the start of the pandemic. The International Internship Program then successfully oversaw the safe travel of a cohort of BGInS students who went to nine countries. This involved adhering to new policies and procedures put in place by the university and Government of Canada. The team was able to adapt to these new standards and, working with global partners, effectively communicate them to students. Even when the policies were changing rapidly due to new developments in the pandemic landscape, the team made sure students were equipped to travel and received support throughout the travel period, to ensure student success during the internship experience.

Highlights from 2022-2023

Ÿ Explored new recruitment and outreach options, including Instagram Reels, to provide information to students regarding internship opportunities and processes, and to answer questions.

Ÿ Developed and facilitated the first Student Committee Focus Group to obtain critical feedback from program participants and reflect on future improvements.

Ÿ Hosted information sessions and attended class talks to review the program with students.

Ÿ Engaged internship and campus partners in new ways to connect in person and virtually, resulting in stronger collaborations, an increased sense of community, and a more holistic approach to internship programming.

Ÿ Signed continuing agreements with trusted global partners, thus strengthening relationships and maintaining the commitment to providing quality programs and opportunities to Carleton students.

“I did my 8-week virtual internship placement in the summer of 2022 with Dongsung Bio Pharmaceutical. This company is based in Seoul, South Korea, their main research being the treatment of pancreatic cancer through the use of photodynamic therapy (PDT). To preface, I signed up for this internship to get more experience in the research field, but this opportunity ended up offering me so much more than just a reference on my resume. I’m going into my third year of Biology and Biotechnology and looking forward, I wanted my career to be on the research side of science. This internship gave me insight on what my career may look like and how research is done out in the field. Even though my internship was virtual, it did not limit my experience whatsoever. I completed many science research-based tasks such as looking into surgical procedures, methods of treatment, statistical analysis of experiments, and brainstormed new techniques that may increase the efficacy of treatments. Not only did I gain insight on a potential future career, but I was also offered to travel for work in the future, thus opening up more possibilities. This internship allowed me to explore my career in research and helped me understand what my interests are. I also learned a lot through scientific articles and speaking with my supervisor about the progress of their research over the years. I had the opportunity to gain new skills and improve on skills to apply them to both school and future work placements. My internship was a great experience for me, and through it, I forged meaningful connections with people in the company. I would highly recommend doing a virtual internship, you will not regret it.”

– Nadine Kamm-Ramirez, International Internship Program participant

Secured $500K in Student Funding from Global Skills and Opportunities Program

The Global Skills Opportunity program is funded by Employment and Social Development Canada, and jointly administered by Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada. This program is designed to encourage

and enable low-income students, students with disabilities, and Indigenous students to participate in meaningful study and work abroad programming. For summer 2022, fall 2022, winter 2023, and summer 2023, a total of 93 in-person and virtual internship participants were provided with additional funding through the Global Skills Opportunity program.

JOB SHADOW PROGRAM

Job Shadow is a career exploration program that allows thirdand fourth-year Bachelor of Arts students in the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences and Public Affairs, and third- and fourth-year Bachelor of Science students, to meet with an employer (a Job Shadow Mentor) one-on-one or in small groups. The Job Shadow Program runs in the fall and winter terms for BA students and in the winter term for Science students.

This program gives students the opportunity to connect with a mentor and learn more about their own career field of interest, ask questions, and gain valuable advice on how they can enter the field. Many students and mentors maintain their professional relationships long after they have completed the program.

During 2022-2023, the Job Shadow Program functioned in person and virtually. Having the two options gave greater flexibility to both the mentor and the student. Compared to the last academic year, the BA area had a 182% increase in mentor-student matches. Science experienced a 53% increase in mentor-student matches.

Job Shadow Statistics

Job Shadow Bachelor of Arts (Fall)

Ÿ 48 Mentors registered

Ÿ 108 Students registered

Ÿ 83 Matches

Job Shadow Bachelor of Arts (Winter)

Ÿ 54 Mentors registered

Ÿ 125 Students registered

Ÿ 79 Matches

Job Shadow Bachelor of Science (Winter)

Ÿ 23 Mentors registered

Ÿ 116 Students registered

Ÿ 49 Matches

In-class Job Shadow

Ÿ 60 Students participating from 3rd year Transitions to Careers course

Ÿ 35 Students participating from 3rd year English course

Ÿ 25 Students participating from 3rd year Professional Writing Course

New Job Shadow Mentors

The following organizations participated in the Job Shadow Program as mentors for the first time in 2022-2023.

Ÿ Abbott Point of Care

Ÿ Aird & Berlis LLP

Ÿ Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Ÿ Canadian Fuels Association

Ÿ Canadian Heritage

Ÿ Centrepointe Professional Services

Ÿ Community Safety and Well Being Branch, Ottawa Police Service

Ÿ Cornerstone Psychology Ottawa

Ÿ Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs

Ÿ Employment and Social Development Canada

Ÿ Environment and Climate Change Canada

Ÿ FINTRAC Canada

“These types of experiences are certainly beneficial for students to experience…learning/knowing how to interact with a professional in a formal setting is an incredibly important, irreplaceable skill that cannot be replaced by a degree. Also, learning about a specific career from someone who is currently working in that career allows for students to make an informed decision on whether it is a suitable career path for them.”

– Avienda Glazer, 3rd year Criminology and Criminal Justice

Ÿ Goulbourn Museum

Ÿ Hicks Adams

Ÿ Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Ÿ Indigenous Services Canada

Ÿ Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada

Ÿ Jumping Elephants

Ÿ Kyndryl

Ÿ LiveWorkPlay

Ÿ Mental Health Commission of Canada

Ÿ Montreal Road Animal Hospital

Ÿ National Capital Commission

Ÿ Newborn Screening Ontario, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario

Ÿ Ottawa Anxiety and Trauma Clinic

Ÿ Public Health Agency of Canada

Ÿ Sex Assault Child Abuse Unit, Ottawa Police Service

Ÿ Sicotte Guilbault LLP

Ÿ The Ottawa Hospital

Ÿ TripArc

Ÿ Warner Brothers Discovery

WORK STUDY PROGRAM

The Work Study Program is a financial aid program funded by Carleton University that provides part-time, on-campus employment opportunities for undergraduate students in financial need. The number of students able to participate in Work Study is limited to the number of positions the university can fund.

As the university was planning for a safe and gradual return to campus for the 2022-2023 academic year, Work Study positions were made flexible to provide hiring departments an opportunity to plan for their specific needs, while following Public Health guidelines and government regulations to ensure the health and safety of the community. As such, Work Study positions could continue to be virtual or could be in-person positions on campus.

A total of 483 Work Study jobs were posted and 184 students were hired in positions as part of the 2022-2023 program.

483

Work Study jobs posted

184

Students hired for 2022-2023 Work Study Program

Co-operative Education

Since its creation in 1988, Carleton University’s Co-operative Education program has facilitated workintegrated learning experiences with many local, national, and international employers. The program has grown to include the co-op option for over 150 degree programs, majors, streams, and concentrations. As work-integrated learning is becoming increasingly important for securing employment after graduation, more and more students are choosing the co-op option.

In 2022-2023, Carleton’s Co-op program was the third-largest co-op program in Ontario. Even amidst a very challenging labour market, as a result of strong employer partnerships, a record 3,965 work terms were supported by the Co-op team throughout the year.

CO-OP WORK TERMS

Co-op Students Hired

A total of 2,459 co-op students completed work terms in the 2022-2023 academic year, an increase of 15.6% over last year’s total.

Jobs Posted

6,825 co-op jobs were posted, an incredible increase of 102% over the previous year. These postings represented 13,009 openings, which is an increase of 38% compared to the year before.

Co-op Interviews

Employers conducted 4,690 individual interviews over the course of 2022-2023. This represents an increase of 5.8% in individual interviews (259 more), compared to 2021-2022.

Most Work Terms

Ericsson offered the highest number of co-op work terms this year (180). The second highest number of work terms was offered by Carleton University (148).

Total Work Terms

Co-op students completed 3,965 individual work terms throughout 2022-2023. This was a 16.1% increase compared to the year before.

CO-OP STUDENT SUPPORT

Co-op Student Advisors provide individualized one-on-one support to students participating in the job search and in co-op work terms. In 2022-2023, the Co-op Student Advising team held 1,188 student appointments, an increase of 32% over 2021-2022.

“The Support Hub really emphasized to me that it was okay to not instinctively know the right thing to do right off the bat, because working in this type of professional environment was such a new experience for me…the Support Hub gave me a strong starting point for questions to ask, and information to ensure that I had in order to feel comfortable and do my best right from day 1.”

– Co-op student

COOP1000 AND RESOURCE HUBS FOR CO-OP STUDENTS

All students who enter Co-op must successfully complete the COOP1000 course, facilitated by the Co-op Student Advising team. This year,1,647 students completed COOP1000.

In 2022-2023, the following features were added to the course:

Ÿ Interactive, tutorial-style events such as Resume and Cover Letter Clinics, which allowed co-op students and staff to work together on these documents. These events attracted a total of 68 students, 100% of whom reported an improvement in their confidence with the job search (86% of attendees would attend again, with most reporting that they most enjoyed “being able to get questions answered on the spot”).

Ÿ Expanded coverage of the Co-op Student Participation Agreement, to promote awareness of rules and regulations.

Ÿ Invitations to upcoming Career Services and Co-op events to help students get a jump-start on their job search.

Ÿ “What’s Next After COOP1000?” videos to familiarize students with their Co-op Student Advisor and to provide a sneak peek of processes and upcoming deadlines in their job search term.

In addition, Co-op continued to enhance two Co-op Resource Hubs, which are designed to complement the intense demand for one-on-one support from the team of Co-op Student Advisors. This year, 2,602 students accessed the Hubs, an increase of 131% from 2021-2022. The enhancements included:

Ÿ Announcements and resources that ensured students were well prepared over the holidays to kick off their January job search.

Ÿ Video materials and tip sheets to better familiarize students with their Co-op Student Advisor.

Ÿ New videos on how to stay calm before and during an interview.

Ÿ Introduction of the job notifications on mySuccess, as well as how-to videos about this feature.

The Job Search Resource Hub featured live supplementary events. These seven events attracted a total of 178 students in 2022-2023 and included LinkedIn Profile Building, Networking on LinkedIn, Empowering Your Co-op Job Search, and a Job Application Working Session.

The Work Term Support Hub served as on-demand support for students, and complemented the customized support and site visits from Co-op Student Advisors. The live events, which complemented this Resource Hub, included Welcome to Your Co-op Work Term! and We Shoot, We Score! Let’s Check-in and Talk Goals.

Business Information and Technology (BIT) student Alexandre Lott, featured here with employer Linda Krebs, dedicated two of his co-op work terms to Nokia. Located in Kanata North’s Technology Park, Nokia is a leader in telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics. Alexandre gained eight months of valuable work experience at Nokia by applying his skills in research, quality assurance, and software development.

CO-OP EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT

Co-op takes part in a variety of outreach activities and initiatives as part of its ongoing strategy to elevate the Carleton Co-op brand in the external community.

Highlights from 2022-2023

Ÿ 34 employers from 23 organizations were engaged in panels and events that were planned for co-op students throughout the year.

Ÿ CU Co-op promotion included sponsorships of the Talent Summit and Informed HR conferences, and advertisements in eight publications including Ottawa Business Journal’s Book of Lists, HR Update, Canadian Architect magazine, the Aerospace Industry Association magazine, and the BioTalent newsletter.

Ÿ Co-op collaborated with loyal Co-op employer, Perkins&Will, to submit sponsored content to the A+Dwire architecture and design industry publication. The piece featured the value of hiring Carleton Co-op students.

Ÿ Co-op hosted Techworking at the CU@Kanata/Hub350 space. This in-person networking event connected 10 organizations with 100 co-op students to facilitate job search connections.

Ÿ As part of International Women’s Day, Co-op highlighted the accomplishments of two female students, Inga Vassilenko

(Bachelor of Arts, Psychology) and Ellie Ng (Bachelor of Computer Science).

Ÿ Co-op continued as a partner in the Hire Local initiative, a consortium of Ottawa’s post-secondary institutions and local partners (Invest Ottawa, the Kanata North Business Association, the City of Ottawa, and the Ottawa Board of Trade). The aim of Hire Local is to encourage employers to consider talent from Ottawa’s post-secondary coop programs to address current talent acquisition and retention challenges.

Ÿ Co-op was a Bronze-level sponsor at Discover Technata in April 2023 and partnered with Career Services and the Kanata North Business Association to promote the event to students. Co-op offered resume review advice to over 50 student attendees throughout the day and interacted with 31 Kanata-based employers to create new co-op opportunities.

Ÿ The Campus Co-op Employer Fund (CCE) offered $4,000 in support to Carleton employers who hired co-op students. In 2022-2023, the CCE program funded 148 campus-based co-op work terms. Since its inception three years ago, the CCE program has funded a total of 442 meaningful employment experiences for co-op students.

Top Co-op Employers

Based on the number of work terms offered to Carleton co-op students, Co-op’s Top 20 employers are:

Ÿ Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)

Ÿ Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)

Ÿ Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

Ÿ Carleton University

Ÿ Ciena

Ÿ Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)

Ÿ Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

Ÿ Ericsson

Ÿ Ford Motor Company of Canada

Ÿ Global Affairs Canada (GAC)

Ÿ Health Canada

Ÿ Hydro Ottawa

Ÿ MHI Canada, Inc. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries CA)

Ÿ National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces (DND)

Ÿ National Research Council Canada (NRC)

Ÿ Nokia

Ÿ Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)

Ÿ Ross Video Ltd.

Ÿ Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)

Ÿ Shared Services Canada (SSC)

In the 2022-2023 academic year, 2,162 new employer accounts were created in the CUHire database, of which 1,540 indicated an interest in hiring co-op students.

“Co-op students play a meaningful role in the growth of our talent and bring intuitive thoughts, which encourages our practice to innovate and evolve as a collective.”

– Marie Thanh-Truc Nguyen, Perkins&Will

CO-OP AWARDS

The Co-op Awards are presented each year to recognize the outstanding achievements, contributions, and performances of Carleton University’s co-op students and their employers. In 2022-2023, there were 85 students and 25 employers nominated for Co-op Awards.

Undergraduate Co-op Student of the Year

Abby Ibrahim is a fourthyear Bachelor of Cognitive Science student and winner of the 2022 Undergraduate Co-op Student of the Year Award. Ibrahim has completed two co-op terms as a Software Developer at Ross Video, which powers live video productions for global viewers with high impact, high efficiency solutions and services.

Ibrahim was nominated by Craig Tobias, Software Manager for OverDrive at Ross. In his nomination, Tobias highlighted that Ibrahim worked with a small team to start a brand-new project. This project utilized a new common framework developed by Ross and was key to providing a consistent look and feel across all of Ross’s products. The unique element of this project was that no one had ever adopted this framework to the same degree as this team, and Ibrahim soon established himself as the lead for the project by doing research, navigating the challenges that come with trailblazing new paths, and finding solutions.

“It is difficult to put a dollar value on the savings to Ross Video that this initiative has had,” said Tobias, “but all teams that adopt this framework in the future will benefit from the work Abby has done with this team.”

Graduate Co-op Student of the Year

Matthew MacMurdo has now completed a Master of Arts in International Affairs and is the winner of the 2022 Graduate Co-op Student of the Year Award. He completed his work term with the Resettlement and Asylum Strategic Operations Branch of the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and was nominated by Carol McQueen, Director General.

McQueen highlighted that MacMurdo proved to be a stellar addition to her office from the moment he joined. She said he jumped right into taking on a critical coordination and tasking role in response to a heavy volume of requests for briefing products, policy recommendations, and strategic planning in support of the Ministry’s mandate to bring resettled refugees to Canada and to manage an influx in asylum flows into the country.

McQueen noted that MacMurdo – beyond the skills he brings to the table – is a pleasure to work with for his positivity and how he is always willing to lend a hand. She said MacMurdo “stays calm and collected when faced with competing priorities and a somewhat chaotic environment in which demands and pressures are constantly changing.”

Co-op Employer of the Year

Ross Cheriton, Assistant Research Officer with the Advanced Electronics and Photonics Research Centre (AEP), at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), is the recipient of the 2022 Employer of the Year Award. The NRC, Canada’s federal research and development organization, partners with Canadian industry to take impactful research from the lab to the marketplace, where people can experience the benefits. Cheriton was nominated by Vlad Artyshchuk, a fourth year Electrical Engineering student who completed three four-month work terms at AEP.

In his nomination, Artyshchuk outlined how his work experience involved creating a drone platform that could be used for remote sensing applications. As he worked on this project, Artyshchuk said Cheriton provided him with guidance and support while also ensuring Artyshchuk understood the capabilities of his work and the future implications the work could have on their field and the world at large.

Said Artyshchuk, “This experience showed me the type of mentors the NRC has. I truly believe that the work they put into co-op programs is life changing, as I have seen specifically with Dr. Cheriton’s contribution.”

Communications

The goal of Career Services’ and Co-operative Education’s communications is to increase awareness amongst students, employers, and the Carleton community about the services, programming, and events these departments have to offer. Over the past year, there has been increased use of project management tools, new social media strategies to inform and engage students, and a return to strategic print marketing materials. In terms of the online presence of these two departments, this is comprised of two student-facing websites, one employer-facing website, an employment portal, and active involvement on three social media platforms – all designed to connect students, alumni, and employers with support and opportunities.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

From May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023, 160 projects were submitted by the Career Services and Co-op teams. These projects allow Career Services and Co-op to promote events, programs, services, and more with deliverables that include (but are not limited to), social media posts/campaigns, email marketing, event calendar and newsletter posts, videos, onepagers, and ads.

Along with the continued use of Trello (a Kanban-style project management tool that helps organize tasks, manage projects, and increase collaboration), the Communications team expanded its use of Notion. This productivity application allows the team to manage its daily and monthly social media schedule, as well as create date-specific communications plans.

Using the calendar function in Notion, the Communications team created new calendars for the Employer and Student Dashboards, LCD schedule, email campaign calendar, and newsletter schedule. This allowed for a bird’s-eye-view of the term and for the content in each calendar to be organized in a way that is both balanced and strategic.

CAREER SERVICES JOB BOARD

Career Services invites employers in all industries and locations to post employment opportunities on its online job board, hosted within the mySuccess/CUHire portal. This year, the team implemented several strategies to increase job postings, including reminding Career Fair employers to post

Fall 2022:

Views of online job postings by term:

Winter 2023:

37,300

62,935

prior to the fair; connecting with current employer partners to remind them about, and support them in, posting to CUHire; and researching currently-hiring Ottawa-based employers to increase their awareness about the Job Board.

Career Services recorded a total of 18,120 positions throughout the 2022-2023 academic year. This represents a 120% increase in number of positions posted with Career Services compared to the previous academic year.

WEBSITE ANALYTICS

Career Services Website (carleton.ca/career)

Throughout the 2022-2023 academic year, 79,454 users visited the Career Services website. This is an 11% increase from the previous year. The most visited webpage on the site, apart from the homepage, was the mySuccess webpage (/career/mysuccess/) with 17,064 pageviews. The homepage had 27,767 pageviews in the academic year. This is a 9% increase from the previous year.

A screenshot of the Notion productivity application

Co-op Website (carleton.ca/co-op)

A total of 67,810 users visited the Co-op website from May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023. This is an increase of 6% from the previous year. The most visited webpage on the site was the Co-op Participation Agreement page (/co-op/rulesregulations/co-op-participation-agreement/) with 8,247 pageviews. The homepage had 23,355 pageviews in the academic year. This represents a 36% decrease from the previous academic year.

Employers Website (carleton.ca/employers)

A total of 22,050 users visited the Employers website from May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023. This is a 7% decrease from the previous academic year. The most visited webpage on the site was the Salary Survey page (/employers/hire-coop/i-hired-a-co-op-student/co-op-salary-survey) with 9,309 pageviews. The homepage had 12,728 pageviews in the academic year. This is a 5% decrease from the previous year.

LIVE CHAT

Career Services allows users who visit the Career website to have quick, career-related questions answered through the Chatbot system. The Chatbot is monitored by a member of the Career Advising team during regular business hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The automated Chatbot system, launched in March 2023, now provides information to students and alumni 24/7. The Co-op program also launched a Chatbot in March. The Live Chat feature was used over 500 times throughout the 2022-2023 academic year.

MYSUCCESS/CUHIRE PORTAL

A total of 22,882 students logged in to the mySuccess portal from May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023. A total of 2,814 employers logged in to the CUHire portal from May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023.

CUPORTFOLIO

cuPortfolio is Carleton University’s electronic portfolio system, a student-centred learning tool that provides a venue for students to collect and showcase academic and co-curricular artifacts, such as assignments, projects, videos, blogs, etc. It allows students to engage in reflective learning as they make connections between artifacts, experiences, and accomplishments.

cuPortfolio can be shared with peers, professors, and potential employers both to demonstrate students’ learning processes and to provide concrete evidence that they have met specific course learning outcomes or have the required work experience for certain career or academic opportunities.

A total of 3,384 students used cuPortfolio throughout 20222023. This is a 4% decrease in the number of student users compared to the previous academic year.

The number of classes using cuPortfolio for coursework was 72 in 2022-2023. This is on par with the previous academic year.

“I have been using cuPortfolio in many of my classes for several years now, and I find it a great benefit to students. As a reflection tool, they have the option of commenting on the work they are doing and the learning they are engaging in a more relaxed environment. This gives them the opportunity to really consider the value of each assignment as well as the chance to see their progress across the term. In addition, it gives me the chance to see what is working well for them and flags areas that could be adjusted to better suit their needs.”

-Janne Cleveland, Drama Studies

SOCIAL MEDIA

Instagram

Career Services and Co-op’s Instagram account gained 306 new followers, bringing the account’s total following up to 3,065. This represents an 11% growth.

LinkedIn

Career Services and Co-op’s LinkedIn page gained 842 new followers, bringing the page’s total following up to 4,324. This represents a 24% growth.

Twitter

Career Services and Co-op’s Twitter account lost 50 followers, bringing the account’s total following to 3,046. This represents a 2% decrease. For Career Services and Co-op, Twitter is the least popular of the three platforms with students. However, the Communications team still sees it as a useful tool for sharing posts from other Carleton faculties and departments that relate to career content, and for highlighting Career Services and Co-op’s content to those faculties and departments.

NEW COMMUNICATIONS INITIATIVES

In the past 12 months, the Communications team has collaborated with Career Services and Co-op staff on several initiatives to expand students’ and employers’ awareness and knowledge of the events and programs offered.

Highlights from 2022-2023

Ÿ The “#WeveGotYouCovered” toque campaign on LinkedIn. Co-op team members visited several employer partners in February 2023 to discuss summer recruitment plans, and employers received Co-op-branded toques along with the message, “We have you covered not only for recruitment, but also for the cold days ahead!” The photos of these visits and accompanying tags were highly popular, with impressions ranging from 1,600-6,600. Additionally, the posts were the account’s most-liked content for the duration of the campaign.

Ÿ Peer-to-peer Instagram Reels. This involved videos from one of the Career Coaches (a co-op student) who would share tips on career competencies and employability skills. This also included an ongoing “Sunday Fun Day” series in which co-op students promote events, services, and programs using current social media trends. Views on these Reels range from 1,200-3,000 impressions.

Ÿ Using Twitter threads and tagging Carleton departments to increase engagement on the weekly Upcoming Information Sessions series. Impressions range from 575-2,600, awarding these posts placement in the Career Services and Co-op Top Five Tweets each month.

Ÿ New ways of using Instagram stories. This included a Career Services Job Board quiz, student testimonials, and alerts about Career Services booths on campus (many staff members who were working the booths had students show up to the booths because they saw the story on Instagram that day).

Ÿ The creation of Social Media Cards that can be distributed during student meetings, booths at events, and at front desks. These cards list the handles and an overview of the content that can be found on the Career Services and Coop accounts, making it easy to find and follow the account on each platform.

Ÿ A bulletin board installation in front of the Career Services office at 401 Tory. One of the communication goals of this year has been to expand people’s knowledge of what Career Services offers to students and alumni – that in addition to resume and interview support, Career Services also provides international internships, support for students with disabilities, employer info and recruitment sessions, career fairs, job postings, and workshops. Additionally, two smaller boards with the same information were created to replace outdated content on boards located on the third floor of Tory and in front of the cafeteria in Nideyinàn (formerly University Centre).

Ÿ Ensuring Carleton’s new branding was applied to all new materials and reorders. This was particularly important as there was an increase in print-marketing materials postpandemic.

Ÿ The Career Services Job Board communications plan. This had a soft launch in summer 2022 followed by a comprehensive roll-out in fall and winter 2022-2023. The goal of this plan was to increase student, alumni, and employer awareness of the Career Services Job Board (which is exclusive to the Carleton community) and benefits of accessing it.

Ÿ Increased use of the Employer Dashboard, building on the success of the Student Dashboard in Orbis as a popular tool to highlight news and events. This included creating a form for Career Services and Co-op team members to request content and devising a year-long schedule based on the submitted requests.

2022-2023

Career Services

401 Tory Building 613-520-6611

career@carleton.ca

Co-operative Education

1400 Carleton Technology and Training Centre 613-520-4331

co-opprogram@carleton.ca

(Students)

co-op@carleton.ca

(Employers)