Happy National Co-op Week!

This week we are celebrating continuous learning through safe and virtual co-op placements. Each year, J.D. Irving, Limited works with over 35 post secondary institutions across Canada and the U.S. to give students the opportunity to gain hands on experience in a dynamic work force. With 8 different divisions, we offer over 260 placements a year for students in various fields of studies.

With a 94% student satisfaction rating, during their co-op experience our students become an integral part of major projects such as the mobilization of a 600 tonne crane, leading trials for new products at our paper mills, and even working on the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program with Ships for Canada. 

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed us find new ways to continue this interactive learning with our co-op students. Ensuring students continue to stay engaged and connected during the pandemic, we've redesigned 6 of our core co-op events and added one new program to be completely virtual. Leveraging virtual learning tools such as Microsoft Teams and HoloLens, we are forecasted to hire over 300 co-op students in 2021.

Check out some of our new Virtual Learning programs: 

New Breakout Rooms 

For a virtual twist on the traditional Meet & Greet events, we've partnered with Breakout Saint John to design virtual and interactive team strategy games where students quickly break the ice and work together. Through virtual strategy games, the students  learn to work together and solve problems while having some fun getting to know each other at the beginning of each term. 

Virtual Group Training 

Co-op students are offered White Belt training sessions when completing a work term with JDI, where they learn and apply Lean Sigma concepts, methodologies and tools. We have now redesigned this program to continue fully offering it virtually allowing students to stay safe and gain valuable skills.

Operational HoloLens Tours

With the help of Microsoft technology we are now able to provide virtual tours of our facilities. Students in various divisions have virtual access to our sites through an hour long guided and interactive tour, where they are invited to ask questions and learn more about locations outside of their own divisions. 

Leadership Roundtables

We now offer our students a full day of virtual access to our senior leadership team to ask questions and gain insight through a quick hit training course, followed by a virtual leadership roundtable! Past events featured Vice President of Supply Chain, Corey O'Dell discussing leading his team in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weekly Lunch and Learns

An important part of a student co-op experience is the people you meet. Now, with our new Virtual Lunch and Learn sessions, students have the opportunity to engage with students all over Canada and the U.S. The sessions allows them the opportunity to learn about our businesses, get some training, and learn about other students cultures. 

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Interested in a co-op placement with J.D. Irving, Limited? Find your next opportunity here: students.jdirvng.com