International co-op student works for three employers at the same time as par of new employment approach.
Azhar Raman, a Sobey School of Business Commerce undergrad, is working for three employers at the same time during his co-op placement: one in Halifax, and two in rural Nova Scotia. "This is an opportunity like nothing else," he says. "As a business student, my placement includes activities related to everything I am studying, from marketing to financial management. This experience is giving me variety and the chance to become confident in a number of different skill sets." Metroworks, a Halifax-based social enterprise, joined with Rural Roots Market and New Ross Country Stay to share the cost of a co-op student, one with talent and skillsets they typically don't have access to. Sharing a co-op student across multiple employers provides non-profits an opportunity to lessen the financial burden, while still benefiting from the student's capabilities and knowledge. The concept of multiple employers joining to hire a co-op student or a permanent employee was developed by Placemaking4G, an Atlantic Canadian talent-matching agency working to attach diverse youth to meaningful careers in welcoming communities. They call this approach cluster employment. "We came up with this concept as a way of creating stable, full-time positions for young people, while also helping multiple employers who share a common business need to acquire top talent, "says Matt Thomson, co-founder of Placemaking4G. "Opportunities like this offer a unique range of work experiences, which will no doubt contribute to the professional growth of students." Azhar's work term is also subsidized by the provincial government's Co-op Education Incentive, which offsets the cost of hiring a post-secondary co-op student.