Concordia co-op students are looking for work this summer in their field of study — and maybe you can help.

Christine Webb, director of the university’s Institute for Cooperative Education, says that with the recent downturn in the economy, it is becoming more difficult to place these diversely talented, highly motivated students. This is especially true of the students facing their first of four work terms.

About 178 of the 400 students available for the summer term remain to be placed and must find program-relevant employment by mid-May. Webb is appealing to potential employers across campus and beyond.

These bright students are carefully chosen from among a pool of applicants, and can tackle a wide range of assignments, including complex tasks that might otherwise require expensive contracts. Co-op students can also help with research, statistical analysis, increased workloads, and during vacation periods.

“Part of the problem is that Concordia’s co-op program is still not well known to employers,” Webb said. But among those in business and industry who do know about it, it’s a popular source of enthusiastic employees, some of whom go on to permanent jobs with their co-op employers after graduation.

The co-op concept is ideal for the student who wants to get their foot in the employment door from almost the start of their university studies. They alternate terms of study with terms of work, and the Co-op Institute supports them throughout, lining up their work terms and trouble-shooting where necessary.

Concordia co-op students are looking for work terms this summer in the following areas: Computer engineering; Computer science; Economics; Electrical engineering; Finance; Human resource management; Management information systems; Marketing; Mechanical engineering; Pure and applied mathematics; Software engineering; and Statistics.

You can contact the Institute for Co-operative Education at 848-3950.