Cooperative Education

The Cooperative Education course is available to students in Grades 11 and 12. 

Co-op students will typically earn 2 credits upon completion of the co-op course as part of either a morning (periods 1/2) or an afternoon (periods 4/5) co-op class.  Full-day placements, though less common, are also appropriate for some students whose schedules allow.  Full-day placements enable students to earn 4 co-op credits.

The Cooperative Education course begins with 2 - 3 weeks of preplacement course work, which includes job readiness skills, key workplace legislation, and important health & safety awareness training.  Following the preplacement block,  students begin work out in the community in their individual work placements. Approximately every 3 weeks, students return for an in-school session to further connect their placement learning with co-op course curriculum.  

The Co-op course consists of a combination of work placement learning time/hours, in addition to in-school coursework, for a total of 220 hours of study.

Here is the link to HDSB Co-operative Education Course Outline 

There are many benefits for students who enroll in Cooperative Education.  Prior learning through academic courses is applied and expanded through hands-on, "real world" settings in the workplace, where students can test drive potential career areas of interest.  This further enables wise and informed decision-making when students investigate further educational opportunities at the post-secondary level and in the workplace.

The employers who are our community partners in Cooperative Education also value the opportunity to pass on their valuable knowledge, skills, and insights to the next generation of employees who will continue to shape our future, and we highly value our partnerships with them. 

While students are on placement throughout a semester of co-op, they act in a capacity similar to that of an employee as they gain direct experience of what a career in that industry is like.  They are supervised by both their workplace supervisor and their co-op teacher. In the workplace, The Halton District School Board acts as the 'employer of record' for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board coverage.  

The Cooperative Education program at Burlington Central High School allows students to earn secondary school credits while completing a work placement out in the community. The integrated co-op course connects prior learning/courses with related work experience.  Experiential learning through co-op presents unique opportunities for students to expand on their existing knowledge and skills, gain direct workplace experience, explore their passions and make valuable connections with our community partners.  For many students, co-op placements assist them in refining both post-secondary education and future career plans through "test driving" a career area over the course of the semester through either a half-day or full-day placement.