Mr. Speaker, congratulations to the University of Waterloo and its co-op education program.
According to this year's Maclean's university issue, in Canada the University of Waterloo pioneered experiential learning. It developed the country's first co-op program in 1957 and has now become an innovative and global leader, with 9,000 students in 80 co-op programs in partnership with 2,500 employers.
Co-op education is the educational model that combines and alternates formal academic learning in the classroom with practical learning received on the job. This type of program has nothing but winners. The students win since they get related work experience and the employer gets an enthusiastic and educated employee full of new ideas and a tremendous willingness to work.
University of Waterloo co-op students are placed in each and every province in the country and over 200 of them are employed internationally each year. Co-op education has been adopted by other Canadian universities and most high schools.
To all of the people involved in co-operative education in Canada, I say “well done”.