In her final years of high school, teachers warned Ainsley Wallace and her classmates that going to university wouldn91裸聊视频檛 guarantee them a dream job.

91裸聊视频淭hey kind of scared us a bit and told us that getting a degree doesn91裸聊视频檛 mean you91裸聊视频檒l automatically get a good job,91裸聊视频� said Wallace, originally from Ottawa and now a student at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

91裸聊视频淚 decided to apply for a co-op program so I could graduate with some work experience and be able to compete for better jobs.91裸聊视频�

Canada is a leader in co-operative education, a learning model that alternates between academic and paid work terms.

It91裸聊视频檚 a form of so-called work integrated learning, an umbrella term that also includes other approaches to experiential learning like apprenticeships, internships and clinical placements.

Co-op programs can vary across the country, but all involve work related to a student91裸聊视频檚 field of study.

Employers gain access to affordable and energetic young talent, while students get hands-on experience and earn money.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 earn while you learn,91裸聊视频� said Robert Wooden, director of Management Career Services at Dalhousie University. 91裸聊视频淵ou91裸聊视频檙e learning in the classroom but you91裸聊视频檙e also earning an income during work terms.91裸聊视频�

The rising cost of living and higher tuition fees have made co-op programs increasingly appealing for students.

Tuition costs have nearly doubled over the last 20 years, according to Statistics Canada, while the cost of housing, food and other basic living expenses have also increased drastically.

Wallace, currently working for Halifax-based mentorship organization EnPoint as a marketing and business growth intern, said being able to earn cash while attending university was a major draw.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 fully on student loans,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 definitely been so helpful to be able to make an income for four months straight during these internships.91裸聊视频�

Making sure students are paid is one of the requirements of co-op accreditation, said Wooden, who also chairs the Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada Accreditation Council.

91裸聊视频淐o-op students aren91裸聊视频檛 working for free,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淣owadays university is too expensive. Organizations that are seeking to take advantage of unpaid student labour 91裸聊视频� co-ops are not interested in that.91裸聊视频�

Despite allowing students to earn money, co-op programs often take more time to complete.

91裸聊视频淭ypically co-op programs do take longer, but you graduate with a year of relevant work experience,91裸聊视频� Wooden said. 91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 a lot more powerful on a resume than a degree and experience mowing lawns for three summers.91裸聊视频�

Companies hire co-op students as a way of bringing fresh ideas and young workers into the workplace.

91裸聊视频淓mployers like the co-op model because they see it as a talent pipeline,91裸聊视频� said Alice Hsiung, manager of career development projects and operations at Centennial College in Toronto, which offers co-op programs for students in different disciplines, including business, engineering technology, applied science and transportation.

91裸聊视频淪ome even offer students part-time jobs when they return to school at the end of a term and full-time positions once they graduate.91裸聊视频�

Although co-op programs have gained an edge amid the rising cost of living, they have a long history in Canada.

The University of Waterloo has been running co-operative education programs since the school was founded 65 years ago.

Its co-op program gained worldwide attention during the rise of BlackBerry, formerly Research In Motion, which drew heavily on the school91裸聊视频檚 engineering and computer science talent.

But co-op programs aren91裸聊视频檛 just for engineers and computer science students, said Norah McRae, associate provost of Co-operative and Experiential Education at the University of Waterloo.

Every academic program across the school91裸聊视频檚 six faculties offers a co-op program 91裸聊视频� some optional and some mandatory 91裸聊视频� with about 25,000 work terms last year alone, McRae said.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 an opportunity for students to engage with workplaces and take what they91裸聊视频檙e learning in the classroom and apply it in different contexts,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚t deepens the learning through application.91裸聊视频�

She adds: 91裸聊视频淪ometimes the best work terms are those where a student says, 91裸聊视频業 hate this,91裸聊视频� because it91裸聊视频檚 way better to figure that out after a four-month work term than to graduate, pursue a career in that field and a couple of years later realize it91裸聊视频檚 not for you.91裸聊视频�

Still, despite the benefits of co-op programs, there are drawbacks.

Sometimes job offers are far from where the university or college is located.

91裸聊视频淚f you91裸聊视频檙e a finance student and you want to work in capital markets, the only place that you can really get into sales and trading is Toronto downtown,91裸聊视频� Wooden said.

91裸聊视频淚f you91裸聊视频檙e an industrial engineering student, you91裸聊视频檙e not going to step outside your apartment and walk to work. There is no manufacturing plant in downtown Halifax.91裸聊视频�

While some employers have started to offer hybrid or remote work terms 91裸聊视频� and others offer relocation benefits 91裸聊视频� co-op students may have to move to gain experience, he said.

Also, co-op programs aren91裸聊视频檛 easy.

While universities find employers looking to hire, share job postings and offer tools to help students build resumes and prepare for interviews, the student is responsible for engaging in a competitive process and finding a work term, McRae said.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 hard work,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淣o one in any co-op program in Canada is going to hand you a job.91裸聊视频�

Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press

Like us on and follow us on .