Canadian European Union (CANEU) Consortium Partners for Strengthening Transatlantic Student Mobility in Co-operative Education

The University of Waterloo and the University of Victoria have secured opportunities for students from the two institutions to undertake co-op work terms in Austria and Germany thanks to CANEU COOP, a hybrid exchange partnership program.

While described as an “exchange program” of which there are many at Waterloo, what sets the CANEU COOP project apart from other exchange programs is that there is a reciprocity agreement among the partners.

The European students of FH Joanneum of Austria and DHBW Cooperative State University of Germany travel to Waterloo ONLY TO STUDY. This mutually beneficial arrangement is ideal as Waterloo and Victoria are destinations of choice for both German and Austrian students to experience a valuable intercultural study experience abroad.

The Canadian students go to Europe ONLY TO UNDERTAKE PAID CO-OP WORK. Co-operative Education (CE) is leading this hybrid exchange, keen to provide Waterloo co-op students with such valuable international work experiences. CANEU COOP co-op positions are not with DHBW and FH Joanneum, but with the employers associated with those institutions and are in the private sector.

Past employers include: Carl Zeiss, Voith, Eurocopter, A. Raymond GmbH and Peri.

Successful Waterloo applicants will be expected to join in a scheduled CANEU COOP orientation at Waterloo during fall frosh week to meet their EU “twin” and to assist their student twin with their adaptation to life in Canada and at Waterloo.

In late December/early January both the Canadian and EU students will travel to Europe to start their four month work terms together at the same company in either Germany or Austria.

CANEU deadlines for those co-op students interested

the EU jobs will be posted on WaterlooWorks in early June of this year outside of the usual co-op recruitment cycle under "winter" of next year.

Historically the jobs have been predominantly Engineering focused, but there are now efforts to expand work opportunities to other Waterloo faculties, with a focus on business-related opportunities.

The jobs typically pay around 750 Euros per month.

Selection of students and or interviews will be complete by mid-July; some employers choose not to do interviews, other use Skype and telephone for their interviews

Offers and your “twin's” name will be confirmed by late July

Work term dates: Similar to the winter work term start and end dates published in the Undergraduate Calendar, but with a week earlier end date to give you time to wrap up your affairs and travel back to Canada

Waterloo co-op students who are interested in this international opportunity and who are eligible to go on a work term in the January of the relevant year can apply on WaterlooWorks or contact the Account Manager.