Co-op Awarded Accreditation

It's official... The Faculty of Forestry Co-op Program is now accredited by the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE). This successful review of our co-op program ensures that we meet national standards and this accreditation remains in effect for the next six years. This achievement enhances our program’s credibility and helps align our activities with recognized practices and procedures from across the country.

Co-op Updates

Winter work term numbers  Students available to work: 10 Conservation 25 Wood  2 Forestry 37 Total Students hired: 20  20 of 37 or 54% Employed International Work Terms 2 South Africa 1 Germany 1 Australia

Co-op Q & A As part of the redesigned co-op workshops, students have been jotting down questions and handing them in at the end of each workshop. The answers are shared here for everyone’s benefit. Co-op Questions and Answers

Work Term Video Co-op student Toby Barnes gives a glimpse into his co-op work term in Campbell River with Interfor in a video posted to the co-op website. We welcome video submissions from all co-op students! To view the clip, click the image to the right or visit the co-op website.

Parks Canada Career Fair Over 150 students came out to the Parks Canada Career Fair and were able to learn about what it's like to work with Parks Canada and potential career opportunities from staff working in National Parks throughout the province. In addition to being able to ask questions and speak with Parks Canada scientists one on one, students were given tips about what makes a successful application to Parks Canada. Some of the highlights include: Cover letter length is not important, 3-4 pages is normal Ensure cover letter addresses all requirements and relevant experience No need for fancy vocabulary Resumes and cover letters must be tailored to the job

Co-op Student Stories

Catherine Thompson - Langley Environmental Partners Society, BC I enjoyed my summer work term with LEPS as their Water Wise Outreach Coordinator. I worked with the Water Wise Team to inform Langley residents about water regulations and to promote municipal water conservation. In May, I delivered 20 workshops to different Langley elementary schools about groundwater and the importance of water conservation. In June, we attended community events to provide outreach and discussion to the community. In July and August, we delivered brochures about water regulations. I have also had an opportunity to work with other fields within LEPS by doing water quality sampling at a local creek and delivering presentations about gardening. I developed a valuable understanding of the needs and day-to-day functioning of an environmental non-profit as well as learning how to communicate with various stakeholders.

Dan Hall - Outdoor Living Manufacturing, Penticton, BC This first co-op term has been better than I could have ever expected. Outdoor Living Manufacturing has provided me with work experience that is very involved and challenging yet rewarding. Having the freedom to get creative and develop projects such as improving the organization and efficiency of the plant, financial costing, and production management has been an incredible opportunity to grow both professionally and personally. One of the most important lessons co-op has taught me so far is how to predict and deal with the complexity of even seemingly simple projects. I can say for certain that the experiences I've had working with this amazing team are a strong foundation for a successful career.

Brett Tripp - E. S Cropconsult – Surrey, BC Co-op has allowed me to explore options that I would not have had the opportunity to explore on my own. I would never have thought to explore the agricultural industry as a potential career option, but co-op has given me the chance to see whether or not this is a career that I wish to pursue. If you're unsure of what you want to do with your degree, or are unsure about what major you have chosen within forestry, co-op provides you with an excellent opportunity to see which career area or field of study interests you the most. It gives you the chance to test out careers within the entire spectrum of forestry, while helping you develop your resume and interview skills.

New Intakes Update

Co-op Recruits in Training Time is flying by and new co-op students have already completed their second in-person workshop designed to prepare them for the challenges ahead. This week we are meeting in small groups to practice various types of interview questions. Students are recorded so they can see themselves in action, and critiqued by their peers and Co-op Coordinator. Once formally admitted to the Co-op Program in January, students will begin applying to jobs with the goal of securing their first co-op work term in May of 2015.  If you would like to post a summer job for these eager co-op recruits - just email us your job posting!

Employer Testimonials

Grant Daum, Operations Manager Outdoor Living Manufacturing Penticton, BC Outdoor Living Mfg. has been very pleased to be a participant in the UBC Co-op Program. The students, upon their arrival at our facility, brought with them a positive attitude, great work ethics, as well as a fresh unbiased outlook.  We feel that we have been able (with a bit of training and direction) to harness this energy in a manner that has certainly been beneficial to our company as well as hopefully providing a lasting experience for the students!!  It did not take long to integrate our students, we started out with some basic organization, time studies and production analysis within targeted production centers. Moving forward they were asked to provide innovative ideas for improvement to both procedures and infrastructure. To round out their time at OLM one of the students has become involved in the complicated process of analyzing our material and labour cost on each of our wide array of products!  The other student has been moved into a longer term role as a supervisor of day to day production within our plant. In both instances the results have been excellent!  I am looking forward to being able to work through the fall with our remaining student, we have a very long list of tasks ahead.  As OLM general manager I am definitely looking forward to hiring more co-op students in the future!

John Vender Ende, Regional Manager, BC Westline - West Fraser, BC We are very pleased with the program and the caliber of its students. We hire co-op students from the UBC Wood Sciences program every year because we believe the program teaches a solid foundation for students to become professional sawmillers. During a co-op term at West Fraser, Wood Science students work on a wide variety of jobs including in-depth performance testing of our kilns and machine centers, as well as product quality control.  We are looking towards the Wood Sciences program for graduates who are looking for a long term and exciting career with West Fraser. We look forward to hiring more co-op students and graduates from this program.

Co-op Nights - Jan 27 & 29

RSVP Today! Each year our program hosts four Co-op Presentation Nights, two of which will be held in January 2015. Co-op Nights showcase presentations from intermediate and senior co-op students who have returned from co-op work terms along with posters from new co-op students who have just completed their first work term. We will serve refreshments and these events are open to everyone so invite your friends, family, work supervisors and professors! View more details and RSVP online. Jan 27 - Forestry & Conservation Jan 29 - Wood Products Processing