uOttawa | Coop et carrières | CO-OP and Careers

What uOttawa | Coop et carrières | CO-OP and Careers does

The University of Ottawa's Co-operative Education Programs (Co-op et carrières | CO-OP and Careers) is a university department delivering work-integrated learning services to undergraduate and master's students at Canada's largest bilingual public research university. Operating with 24 staff from the Desmarais Building in Ottawa, the program coordinates paid work placements across 90+ academic programs, partnering with 4,000+ employers that include federal, provincial, and municipal government departments, Crown corporations, private businesses, NGOs, educational institutions, and high-tech companies. Students complete approximately 16 months of paid work experience through four alternating work-study terms structured over a typical five-year undergraduate sequence, accessing placements via the CO-OP Navigator digital portal.

The program is accredited by Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada and supports both domestic placements (across Canada) and international mobility placements (abroad). Revenue derives from co-op fees charged to participating students, which fund placement administration, employer outreach, student support, and accreditation maintenance; specific fee schedules are not publicly disclosed. Complementary services include mandatory co-op workshops, professional development webinars, academic coordinator support, work-term reporting, the Loh Entrepreneurship Experience Scholarship for entrepreneurship-track internships, and annual Co-op Student of the Year and Co-op Employer of the Year awards. Distribution runs through university student portals (uoZone, Brightspace, VirtuO), the CO-OP Portal/Navigator, employer information sessions, and the university's broader social media presence. The entity operates as a public-sector departmental unit within the University of Ottawa rather than a commercially independent company, with no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or independent financial reporting.

Name

uOttawa | Coop et carrières | CO-OP and Careers

Legal name

Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa

Website

https://coop.uottawa.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1848

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The University of Ottawa's Co-operative Education Programs office coordinates paid work-integrated learning placements across 90+ academic programs for undergraduate and master's students, partnering with 4,000+ employers across government, private, non-profit, and educational sectors under CEWIL Canada accreditation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Experiential Learning & Internships/Co-ops (EDALABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

University-Sponsored International Internships & Co-op Placements (EDAIAFAB)

Keywords

• Cooperative education programs
• Work-integrated learning
• Student work placements
• Career experiential learning
• Higher education co-op

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Co-op Program Fees: Students enrolled in co-op programs pay co-op fees as part of their program costs. The University of Ottawa charges co-op fees for participation in the program, which funds the administration of placements, employer outreach, student support, and accreditation maintenance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The University of Ottawa's Co-operative Education Programs (Co-op and Careers) office administers accredited cooperative education programs in which students alternate academic study with paid work terms, gaining approximately 16 months of practical experience across four work terms. The office operates across 90+ programs with 4,000+ employer partners in government, private sector, NGOs, Crown corporations, and educational institutions, and supports international and national mobility placements through the CO-OP Navigator digital portal.

Product overview

The University of Ottawa's Co-op and Careers program is a comprehensive experiential learning ecosystem comprising the core Co-op Program (offering 90+ programs with 4,000+ employer partnerships), the CO-OP Navigator digital portal for student placement management, and a suite of complementary services including work term reporting, academic coordination, international and national mobility options, scholarships (notably the Loh Entrepreneurship Experience Scholarship), professional development webinars and workshops, and annual award programs recognizing outstanding students and employers. The program follows a structured alternating work-study sequence spanning four work terms over approximately 16 months, and is accredited by CEWIL Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Co-op Program (Co-operative Education Program) A CEWIL Canada-accredited cooperative education program enabling University of Ottawa students to alternate academic study with four paid work terms, gaining approximately 16 months of practical experience in their field of study across 90+ programs and 4,000+ employer partners. Available to four-year undergraduate honours (specialization, double major, major with minor) and select master's programs.
• International Mobility Placement Service A co-op placement service enabling University of Ottawa students to undertake paid work terms abroad, gaining international professional experience and cross-cultural exposure as part of their co-op program.
• National Mobility Placement Service A co-op placement service enabling University of Ottawa students to undertake paid work terms in provinces across Canada, extending placement opportunities beyond the Ottawa region.
• Loh Entrepreneurship Experience Scholarship Program A scholarship program enabling University of Ottawa co-op students to develop entrepreneurial skills through entrepreneurship internships and co-op placements focused on business development and innovation.
• Co-op Employer Hiring Service (Hire a CO-OP Student) An employer-facing service enabling organizations to hire University of Ottawa co-op students for paid work-term placements, accessed via a dedicated employer services portal, key dates, FAQ pages, and information sessions/events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 16 months of paid work experience gained per student completing the co-op program.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Ottawa’s co-op program holds accreditation from CEWIL Canada, the national professional body for co-operative education and work-integrated learning. CEWIL Canada sets standards for co-op program quality and provides a framework for best practices, ensuring that uOttawa’s program meets established benchmarks for student engagement, employer partnerships, and academic integration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Simon Fraser University Co-operative Education: SFU's co-op program is one of Canada's larger CEWIL-accredited programs with a similarly broad employer base, offering alternating paid work terms across many disciplines comparable to uOttawa's portfolio.
• Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) Co-operative Education: TMU's co-op program is a CEWIL-accredited large-scale Canadian university co-op, providing directly comparable paid alternating work-study experiences and competing with uOttawa for Ontario-based employer partners.
• Dalhousie University Co-operative Education: Dalhousie's co-op program operates the same CEWIL-accredited model with multi-term paid work placements at a Canadian research university, competing in Atlantic Canada but with structural overlap on portfolio and employer-base design.
• University of Waterloo Co-operative and Experiential Education: Canada's largest and most established co-op program. Operates the same core function (CEWIL-accredited, employer-mediated paid work terms) at a similarly broad Canadian research university, and is the most direct comparable on scale, structure, and employer relationships.
• McGill University Co-op Programs: McGill's co-op offerings at a major Canadian research university provide paid work-integrated learning across multiple disciplines under CEWIL-accredited frameworks, competing with uOttawa for high-caliber students and major employers.
• University of British Columbia Co-op Program: UBC's co-op program is one of the largest in Western Canada, CEWIL-accredited, and offers alternating work-study terms with comparable four-term structures, serving as a leading national competitor for employer partnerships.
• Concordia University Co-op Program: Concordia's co-op office delivers CEWIL-accredited paid work-integrated learning at a Montreal research university, overlapping with uOttawa on bilingual talent pipelines and shared private-sector employer relationships across Quebec and Ontario.
• Queen's University Co-op and Career Services: Queen's runs a CEWIL-accredited co-op program structured around multi-term paid work experiences in a research university setting — a near-identical model to uOttawa's, comparable in scale and employer-mix philosophy.
• University of Toronto PEY Co-op (Professional Experience Year): UofT's PEY Co-op is among Canada's flagship 12-16 month paid co-op programs and competes with uOttawa for large Canadian employers seeking STEM and business talent from a top-tier research university.

Broad incumbents

• Randstad Canada (co-op/student placement arm): A large Canadian staffing firm that includes student and early-career placement services. While for-profit and much larger, it competes for the same employer demand for entry-level/student talent and is a comparable go-to-market counterweight.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uottawa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/uottawa
• Facebookfacebook.com/uottawa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uottawa-coop-carrieres-co-op-careers
• Instagraminstagram.com/uottawa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about uOttawa | Coop et carrières | CO-OP and Careers