Employers

Benefits of Branding on Campus

Company Information Sessions organized by Engineering Co-op and Career Services (ECCS) allow your organization to tap into a pool of highly qualified and engaged McMaster University engineering students. These events are quick and easy to arrange and help to get your corporate “face” in front of hundreds of potential co-op students and new graduates. Our team has seen many outside-the-box recruitment ideas, we can make suggestions that will be unique and allow you to capture students attention.

Location

Generally, we book you a free classroom in or near the John Hodgins Engineering (JHE) Building. Conveniently located where engineering students congregate, rooms can be booked free of charge that can accommodate 20-100 students. Room location subject to availability.

Dates and Times

Company Info sessions are best booked either in October/November or in January. Sessions run from 5:30-7:30, Monday through Thursday. Other time frames can be arranged.

A/V Equipment

We encourage employers to bring their own laptop. All rooms are equipped with projectors and screens. A perfect space to show corporate videos, display your job boards or other promotional videos. Just let us know your needs.

Parking

Parking is conveniently located near the JHE building in Lot I, off the Cootes Road entrance to the university. Parking is $6 after 4pm and can be paid at one of the lot kiosks upon exiting. See our campus map.

Event Advertising and Attendance

We advertise your event for free through the online system OSCARplus and will hang up your posters. We list events in the Career Events section so students can sign-up in advance. We will confirm final attendance numbers with you the day before the event.

Larger Venues

Larger venues on campus can be booked for a fee. The University Club can hold approx. 100- 150 students. Celebration Hall or CIBC Hall in the Student Centre are other options. Please let us know if you require one of these rooms and we will provide you with the proper contacts. (Average price of room/food ~ $800.

For more information, please contact:

engcoop@mcmaster.ca

Engineering Co-op and Career Services 905-525-9140 ext. 24674

Be the Employer of the Week! One week can make a big difference. Over the course of one week, our team will ensure prime student engagement and campus branding opportunities that puts your company at the forefront. In return, we ask you to involve your managers, HR reps, engineers and current co-op students in opportunities on or off campus showcasing student career opportunities and your company culture. In 2018/19, Google, IBM, Suez, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Promach, Bombardier, Apotex, and L3 Wescam were our employers of the week. To see details of their events and activities, please visit here.

What’s in it for your company?

• Digital signage on campus screens 
• A recruitment booth(s) in high traffic areas
• Multimedia awareness through student led social media posts and on Engineering website.
• A creative opportunity to brand your company to students and engage with top engineering talent

McMaster University Career Fair 

Student Size: 2000 | Fall Term

McMaster University’s annual career fair is great way for employers to show their presence on campus. Being the largest annual career event held at McMaster, it allows employers to feature full-time, part-time, internship and co-op opportunities.

This event is held every September on campus, allowing employers the opportunity to connect with our students prior to the application and interview process if you are looking to hire for January or May start dates.

For more information on how you can partake in this event as an employer, please reach out to the McMaster Student Success Centre.

Engineering Co-op Career Fair 

Student Size: 1000 | Winter Term

Still need to hire a co-op student for Spring 2021 or Fall 2021? This event will bring together employers with immediate hiring needs, and students who are actively seeking co-op roles. Students will range from junior level to senior level, and students seeking 4, 8, 12 and 16 month co-op durations. Employers attending must be actively hiring students to attend. 

Mock Interview Event - Bachelor of Technology Co-op Students

Student Size: 250 | Fall Term 

Two Hours. One Great Opportunity. Host a table of students from Automation Engineering, Automotive & Vehicle Engineering or Biotechnology programs, and help teach them interview skills, network and meet potential candidates. This is a great recruitment opportunity for students seeking co-op in Spring 2021. 

Student clubs require funding, guest speakers, and other support for their activities. They host industry nights, PD days, site visits and more. By supporting these students, your company will get in front of the most active and passionate students. Check out the list of  active clubs and teams! 

Every top university hosts a hackathon - and McMaster's is one of North America's best. Held in the winter term, this event let's you spend over 36 hours with some of the best and brightest tech students. Along with McMaster students, other teams from the University of Waterloo and University of Toronto attend - about 400 students in total participate! Find out more

The MEC brings together hundreds of students in teams of 4 students competing in  engineering challenges such as consulting, design, programming and debate. Winners go to the Ontario Engineering Competition (OEC). We need judges, prizes and sponsorship money to make this a top-level event. NEW! We are hosting this year's OEC 2019 with schools across the province in attendance!

Capstone projects can be done in all of the engineering programs and are final-year in-class projects tackling a real-world technical problem. Students in small groups work for either 1 or 2 semesters and help assist in creating a solution to an engaging work-related issue. Participating in capstones are an immersive and long-term way to partner with the Faculty of Engineering. 

Companies have joined forces with ECCS to design their own custom events that bring big impact when branding your name on campus. From hosting site tours, case competitions, resume and technical interview workshops, these bespoke events will help you capture the attention of the best and brightest students. 

As part of the Government of Canada's Student Work Placement Program (SWPP), a variety of funding opportunities are available for employers to hire students for the purposes of experiential learning. This funding is being administered by Employment and Social Development Canada.

Through SWPP, organizations within Canada that offer full-time employment opportunities between 12-16 weeks for full-time Canadian post-secondary students can receive wage subsidies:

• up to 50% of the wage cost for the placement (up to a maximum of $5,000 per placement) per student OR
• up to 70% (up to a maximum of $7,000 per placement) for under-represented students including first-year students, women in STEM, indigenous students, persons with disabilities and newcomers.

There are a total of 10 delivery partner organizations that help distribute this funding.

You can apply for this funding through the SWPP delivery partners, outlined below:

Need more information about funding, or assistance finding a candidate? Please contact us to learn more. 

As a Canadian employer whose business has been affected by COVID-19, you may be eligible for a subsidy of 75% of employee wages for up to 12 weeks, retroactive from March 15, 2020, to June 6, 2020.

This wage subsidy will enable you to re-hire workers previously laid off as a result of COVID-19, help prevent further job losses, and better position you to resume normal operations following the crisis.

Full details on eligibility and how to apply can be found here. 

Any Ontario employer hiring students from a post-secondary co-op program, who are not government institutions, are eligible to receive an Ontario Tax Credit. 

Large corporations can claim 25% of expenditures, up to $3,000 per work placement. Small businesses can claim 30%, up to $3,000. This tax credit is available for each eligible 4-month work placement and employers may have multiple work placements at the same time and throughout the year. The tax credit is per eligible work placement and there is no cap. If you hire a student for 8, 12 or 16-months, you will receive a tax credit for each 4-month block of time. 

The Engineering Co-op and Career Services Office sends tax credits letters to employers at the end of every 4-month term, once all the expectations and requirements of both the employer and student have been met. More information on co-op program requirements can be found here.

NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) provides financial support to qualified small and medium-sized enterprises in Canada to help them undertake technology innovation.

On April 17, 2020, the Government of Canada announced $250 million in funding for the Innovation Assistance Program (IAP) to assist Canadian small and medium-sized  enterprises (SMEs).

IRAP IAP provides a wage subsidy to eligible employers for up to 12 weeks.

SMEs pursuing technology-driven innovation who have been unable to secure funding under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) are eligible and can apply for financial assistance under IRAP IAP. 

The call for applications will close Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at 11:59 pm EDT.

Who can apply:

Your company must meet the following to be eligible:

• Be ineligible for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy
• Be an incorporated, profit-oriented small or medium-sized business in Canada
• Be a company with 500 or fewer full-time equivalent employees
• Plan to pursue growth and profit by developing and commercializing innovative, technology-driven new or improved products, services or processes in Canada
• Lack sufficient financial resources to sustain operations from April 1, 2020 to June 23, 2020 inclusive
• Have a Canada Revenue Agency business number
• Be incorporated by no later than March 1, 2020

How can I apply?

• If you meet all eligibility criteria listed above, please complete an application
• The program will be accepting applications until April 29, 2020 at 11:59 pm EDT

Next steps

• Following the assessment and approval of applications, applicants will be notified in writing on the status of their application as early as the week of May 11, 2020
• IAP will begin making payments to successful applicants starting the week of May 11, 2020

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) wants to partner with business-minded Northerners to develop innovative technologies, invest in infrastructure, bolster collaboration and build economic development capacity. By supporting your business vision, we can strengthen the North’s competitive advantage.

The NOHFC offers six programs:

• Nothern Ontario Internship Program
• Strategic Economic Infrastructure Program
• Northern Community Capacity Building Program
• Northern Innovation Program
• Northern Business Opportunity Program
• Northern Event Partnership Program

Canada Summer Jobs is an initiative of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, which aims to provide flexible and holistic services to support all young Canadians develop the skills and gain paid work experience to successfully transition in the labour market.

The program provides wage subsidies to create quality summer work experiences for young people aged 15 to 30 years. 

Organization eligibility: 

• not-for-profit organization (eligible for wage subsidies up to 100% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage)
• public-sector organization (eligible for wage subsidies up to 50% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage)
• small businesses with less than 50 full-time employees (eligible for wage subsidies up to 50% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage)

Student eligibility: 

• full time student returning to full-time studies after summer work term
• student between the ages of 15 – 30
• student that is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to who refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of employment

For more information, please visit the Government of Canada website. 

Access to new talent with hands on experience in the latest trends in engineering.

Future Employee Investment: By hiring a co-op student, you get decide who you would like to hire before your official hiring process even begins a few years down the road. Many of our students receive offers from employers, asking them to come back and work for them once they graduate.

Talent Pool: McMaster students are talented and hard-working; they will get the job done. Our students are highly rated by our employers.

Flexible Work Terms: Our co-op program is very flexible. Students can work 4, 8, 12, and 16 months depending on the time of year. We offer a continuous, real world hiring experience. We do not use rank and match. You hire and select students who are the best fit with your company.

Free Job Postings and Interview Rooms: We post jobs freely on our online co-op job board, OSCARplus. Email us the job description, qualifications, job location, start date (and end date if possible), and length of the term. If you require assistance with interviews, we provide support with interview scheduling and on-campus interview rooms.

Ontario Tax Credit: If the position is in Ontario, and your company is not a government institution, you are eligible to receive an Ontario tax credit for hiring a co-op student. This is given to employers who hire co-op students and is worth a maximum of $3000. The reimbursement varies per position.

Pre-Screening of Candidates: Our Co-op students are in good academic standing and take a co-op prep course before they are given access to job postings. They are taught to a specific standard so that they are ready work.

Team Support/Personalized Service: Our ECCS team will provide support through every step of the co-op process. We are dedicated to making sure employers and students are satisfied with their co-op experience.

Co-op students in the Faculty of Engineering are available from the following programs:

• Bachelor of Engineering
• Computer Science
• Integrated Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences
• Bachelor of Technology
• Bachelor of Technology, Degree Completion Program
• Graduate Studies (Masters and Ph.D.)

McMaster Engineering's Co-op program is a highly flexible and customizable co-op program. We have students available from various programs, year round. For more information, visit our Co-op Recruitment Cycles page.

Yes, many of our co-op students are offered full-time permanent positions after they graduate. Co-op students can only be hired while they are still completing academic studies.

If a co-op position is in Ontario, and the company is not a government institution, they are eligible to receive an Ontario Tax Credit for hiring a co-op student from the provincial government. This is given to employers who hire co-op students and is worth a maximum of $3000. The reimbursement varies per position. For full details and to see additional funding options, please click here.

The Engineering Co-op and Career Services Office sends tax credits letters to employers once all the expectations and requirements of both the employer and student have been met. More information on what needs to be done on the employer end can be found here.

Generally, average co-op salaries range from $15 to $24 per hour. Salaries are usually dependent on level of study, length of the co-op, and discipline/stream. For more information on average salaries, please contact us.

Other than verifying if the work meets the requirements to qualify for co-op, there are additional expectations for employers. Please click here for more information. 

For a position to be verified as an eligible co-op experience, it must meet the following minimum requirements:

• The role needs to be related to engineering and/or technology.
• The role needs to be a minimum of 12-consecutive weeks in duration, for every 16-week employment term.
• The role needs to be full-time hours. The minimum requirement is 35 hours per week.
• The roles must be paid, and the wages/salary need to meet provincial or territorial minimums. The current minimum wage requirement for Ontario employers is $14/hour.