By Alisha Cormier and Stephanie Tortorici

Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) is working towards implementing a new systems strategy. A major part of this strategy is WaterlooWorks, the system that will replace JobMine and integrate various applications that support co-op and career success. In the spring, the first group of students and employers will be using WaterlooWorks instead of JobMine. By Winter 2015 (that’s less than a year away!), all students, staff and employers will be using WaterlooWorks.

What is a process change?

WaterlooWorks is a system from a vendor called Orbis Communications Inc. Because much of the functionality of WaterlooWorks is different from the functionality of JobMine, we need to decide whether to change the software to match our processes, or to change our processes to match the technology.

Who is consulted?

Students, employers, and staff are consulted before process change decisions are made. The feedback and opinions of each stakeholder group are weighed to make the final decision on proposed process changes.

How are students involved in WaterlooWorks?

one meeting each term with Co-op Student Council, Feds Council, Co-operative Education Council, and each student society to provide updates on the project, gather feedback, and answer questions

demos available in the Tatham Centre during the continuous round of interviews

poll questions on the Systems Strategy website to gather feedback from students about upcoming or potential process changes

members of the WaterlooWorks Student Panel are invited to engagement sessions and focus groups

Student Panel members use an online blog to comment on process change decisions and receive project updates

Most recent process changes

One free “no rank” per term

Students will be able to use one “no rank” per term. Employers will continue to rank first, after which students can review their rankings and can decide not to rank any one of their positions. Students who use the “no rank” must provide a reason. The reason may be shared with the employer through CEE staff members.

Code of conduct/work search intentions

Students will be required to read and accept a “code of conduct” and advise CEE of their job search intentions before they can search and apply for jobs on WaterlooWorks. This is standard functionality from the vendor. It would look and feel similar to a standard software user agreement, with statements summarizing CEE’s policies, and would include questions related to students’ job search intentions for that recruiting term.

Including salary in co-op job descriptions

Job descriptions in WaterlooWorks will include a text field that employers have the option to use for salary and benefits information. As well, employers can provide additional information to specific students along with their offers/ranks.

Application limit: decision deferred

We still need to decide whether or not to continue to have an application limit. In JobMine, the current limit is 50 active applications during main round and 99 during continuous. In its current state, the new system does not have an application limit – therefore, enforcing one would come at a cost. We will hold off on this decision until we can compare the value of an application limit with other desired functionality.

For more information on each of these changes and to see the themes of the feedback for each, take a look at the “key process changes” section of CEE’s Systems Strategy website.

Get involved!

Do you want to get involved and provide your feedback for future proposed process changes? Join the WaterlooWorks Student Panel! You will get periodic invites to engagement sessions just for panel members as well as access to the WaterlooWorks Student Feedback Blog.

Visit CEE’s Systems Strategy website, to see key project milestone communications under the news section. While you’re there, weigh in on our poll question.