Covid-19 Employer FAQ

The UBC Science Co-op office is open virtually. In an effort to promote social distancing, all staff working with UBC Science Co-op program are working remotely. You may reach our staff members by phone or email during normal office hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday. Visit the Contact Us page for our staff directory.

Some changes are inevitable due to the pandemic: our office staff are working remotely, we are conducting meetings and site visits virtually, and some modifications have been made to steps in the hiring process as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have instituted some important changes to our interview process and are supporting Co-op employers with increased flexibility (e.g. a later start date for the summer term).

If you already have plans to bring on a new summer co-op student, we are supportive of work terms continuing as planned. If that is not a feasible option, then please consider adjusting the start date that works for both you and the student. Please note, some students might be required to self-isolate in case they return from abroad and may delay the start date. If you would like to delay the start date (e.g. first of June or later) and shorten the length of the work term, we are in support of your decision. Further details are discussed in sections below (Job Postings, Interviews & Job Offers, Social Distancing & Impact on Current Co-op placements, and Changes to Scheduled Co-op Placements).

Yes! We have many qualified, eager, and engaged students who are hoping to have co-op placements for the summer term. We understand that summer term placements may begin at a date later than originally anticipated. Further details are discussed below.

No, the job posting process remains the same. Employers can either email our office with the job posting or post a job using our easy online job posting form.  Still have questions? Review the website or contact jobs@sciencecoop.ubc.ca or 604-822-9850.

We understand that the current situation is causing a lot of uncertainty with regards to your future hiring needs. Students typically work 420 hours each co-op work term, and we are handling requests for shorter durations on a case-by-case basis. 

Please contact the UBC Science Co-op office if you have any questions.

Yes, the interview process has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure compliance with health and safety guidelines, we now suggest that most interviews take place either by telephone or virtual interview (Skype, Zoom, etc). We realize that a telephone or virtual interview does not replace an in-person meeting however, it is necessary at this critical time for public health.

Still have questions? Contact our interview team at 604-822-9513 or interviews@sciencecoop.ubc.ca.

Yes! The UBC Science Co-op office will gladly assist in scheduling your remote interviews! You may choose to conduct the interviews over the phone or via various video-conferencing platforms such as Skype, WebEx, Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Hangouts. To schedule the interview, please email us at interviews@sciencecoop.ubc.ca and we will provide further instructions.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and changes that some employers may need to make, the latest date to interview for the summer term is June 2021 (TBD).

No, the job offer process remains the same. After you have interviewed candidates for your position, please let our interview staff know if you would like to extend a job offer. When extending the job offer please provide the following information:

1. Position
2. Duration (start/end date)
3. Salary
4. Supervisor contact information
5. Whether the position is contingent on wage subsidies

Students will have 2 business days to reply to the job offer.

There are few options you could explore:

1. Continue to offer employment at your workplace, however create reduced or alternate work hours or schedules for employees to allow for compliance with social distancing.
2. Consider having co-op students only working at the workplace for tasks that must be completed at the work place and moving other duties to WFH.  
3. Examine the duties of the position and explore the possibility of changing the tasks originally outlined for the position to other tasks that can be done remotely by WFH.

We understand this has been the situation with many other companies, and these are unprecedented times. Most companies have treated existing co-op students like their own full-time employees: students are provided laptops (or asked to use their personal laptops in some cases), VPN access and other options for WFH. For new co-op students, orientation and training tools can be virtually delivered to facilitate the process. In fact, many of our students (in technology / software development jobs in particular) may have had some experience with WFH, so it is not entirely new to them. However, jobs that require physical presence must adhere to provincial health and safety guidelines. If you have any concerns, please reach out to our office. 

More and more employers are inquiring about how to accommodate onboarding for new co-op students. At UBC, most classes are now delivered online and students are become well-versed to online learning. Below are some suggestions for on-boarding new students:

1. Some employers have created online training, that include online resources page for students to access, and mentorship models for onboarding their co-op students.  
2. Others are exploring use of online platforms such as Zoom, Skype, Hangouts, Microsoft Teams and Slack to facilitate training and day-to-day communication with all employees.
3. Some best practices to using this approach are to ensure the student is available at all normal business hours on these communication platforms.
4. Alternative methods include creation of training modules shared via employer intranet or using secure video sharing platforms.  

CEWIL has created some resources for employers to assist them with new and current co-op hires:

1. Tips for onboarding students remotely
2. Tips for supervising students remotely

The Co-op office will support any mentorship or student engagement strategies that your company develops. We understand that the co-op students will be treated like any other employee or new hire in the company.

As the COVID-19 pandemic is a rapidly evolving situation there are some students who are concerned about their health, work, and transportation to-and-from work. We understand the expectations from both the student’s and employer’s perspective. Our Coordinators will speak with the student and the employer to find the best possible solution that meets the needs for both parties.

There are few options you could explore:

1. For students currently placed in positions scheduled for consecutive work terms: employers and students may consider ‘pausing’ the placement in hopes of reinitiating the placement later in the summer term if social distancing requirements allow return to the work place.
2. For new placements: if the placement cannot be completed with a WFH option then we will discuss the options with the student. Employers can potentially change the start date to a later date or potentially change the work term to a later term so that the work can be started when social distancing requirements allow return to the workplace.
3. In the worst case, you may retract the offer given the exceptional circumstance. We will try to find an alternative placement for the student; however, we know it is not always possible. Please consider this as the last resort as students may have made housing and financial commitments in anticipation of their fulltime work term.

Yes, postponing your position for a later term is certainly an option. Please note that if you have already hired for your position, the student you have hired may have prearranged plans (either work or study) and may be unavailable for a later term. We will work with you and the student and do what is best for all parties involved.

Despite our hopes that this does not happen, we acknowledge the possibility that employers may face grave financial consequences as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and may be unable to continue with the currently scheduled co-op position. Please let us know if you have to retract your job offer and we will work with you and the student. We trust that you will consider this option only as the last resort.