2023 Year in Review

We are thrilled to present the 2023 UBC Applied Science Co-op Year in Review. The achievements of our APSC Co-op students in 2023 have been nothing short of exceptional, and all made possible with support from our industry partners. We invite you to explore this year's highlights, including placement statistics, top employers, student successes, and salary and geographic distribution.

SALARY DATA

The table below shows the monthly salary for APSC Co-op students in 2023. These values include salaries from industry positions in Canada. Co-op students must be paid at or above minimum wage and must work at least 420 hours.

Discipline	Minimum	Maximum	Median	Average	Data Points
BDES	$3,331	$4,333	$3,640	$3,770	13
BMEG	$2,800	$5,890	$3,670	$3,707	132
CHBE	$2,750	$5,980	$3,980	$4,015	221
CIVL	$2,850	$5,898	$4,147	$4,124	449
CPEN	$2,730	$8,061	$4,000	$4,125	229
ELEC	$2,761	$7,107	$3,947	$4,103	338
ENVL	$3,000	$6,370	$4,116	$4,114	120
GEOL	$3,120	$6,500	$4,507	$4,520	62
IGEN	$2,917	$5,000	$3,813	$3,913	93
MANU	$2,925	$5,980	$3,813	$3,931	86
MECH	$2,860	$7,296	$3,813	$3,945	460
MINE	$3,413	$6,138	$4,680	$4,665	33
MTRL	$2,771	$6,413	$3,813	$4,004	63
MENG	$2,925	$10,833	$4,507	$4,698	248

TOP 10 CO-OP EMPLOYERS

We'd like to take the opportunity to showcase our leading industry co-op employers who generously supported a remarkable number of students in 2023. The table below highlights our Top 10 Industry Employers, and the corresponding number of work terms secured with each this year. It is important to note that the University of British Columbia itself was the top overall employer of APSC Co-op students in 2023, but we did not include academic institutions in this breakdown. A special shout-out goes to Teck Resources Limited, which provided an impressive 59 work terms for APSC Co-op students!

Employer	Work Term Count
1. Teck Resources Limited	59
2. Metro Vancouver	46
3. Tesla Motors	45
4. Ledcor Group of Companies	43
5. BC Hydro & Power Authority	40
6. Suncor Energy Inc.	37
7. Microchip	33
8. Environment and Climate Change Canada	31
9. Ballard Power Systems	29
10. Smith + Andersen	29
11. Stemcell Technologies	28

SOME 2023 HIGHLIGHTS

PLACEMENT DATA

Applied Science Co-op students demonstrated an impressive commitment to their job search in 2023. Despite some fluctuations, the overall data is positive, with a 96% placement rate in Winter, 75% in Summer, and 93% in Fall.

Discipline	Winter 2023	Summer 2023	Fall 2023
BDES	100%	60%	100%
BMEG	100%	73%	93%
CHBE	96%	74%	92%
CIVL	99%	87%	98%
CPEN	89%	60%	83%
ELEC	92%	71%	87%
ENVL	97%	84%	100%
GEOL	95%	89%	100%
IGEN	95%	73%	100%
MANU	100%	72%	97%
MECH	96%	74%	98%
MINE	100%	86%	85%
MTRL	100%	78%	88%
MENG	100%	77%	95%
Total	96%	75%	93%

You may notice that Computer Engineering (CPEN) and Electrical Engineering (ELEC) experienced lower placement rates, particularly in Summer, which can be attributed to fluctuations in the tech sector. Despite these variations, the majority of engineering disciplines demonstrate robust employability, providing valuable insights for students and industry stakeholders navigating the dynamic engineering landscape.

LOCATION DATA

This map highlights the geographic distribution of APSC Co-op student work terms across Canada. While students engaged in work experiences across the country, a significant 71% occurred within the Lower Mainland. Many students pursued international work terms, gaining valuable experience in countries such as China, France, and Germany.

Map of the geographic distribution of APSC Co-op student work terms in Canada

INTERNATIONAL PLACEMENTS

Shout Outs!

Employers love hiring APSC co-op students.

We received extremely positive feedback from employers and students in 2023. Check-out a few of our highlighted quotes below!

QUOTES FROM EMPLOYERS

"I would highly recommend the Co-op program to my peers to fulfill recruitment needs. The program gives a win-win opportunity to both the student and the employer. For the student, they get to be exposed to the real world, and learn skills in the workplace that are not taught in the classroom. For the employer, you get the opportunity to have fresh set of eyes, to look at the problems that the organization has, and get new-fresh perspective of how these problems could be fixed.”

“This is a great program meeting the business needs both short-term and long-term. The possibility to bring in fresh eyes to look into processes and find potentials for improvement has always helped our business.”

“This is a great program and we have never been disappointed in a student. They are all exceptional.”

“The students' practical experience gained through the co-op program aligns closely with industry demands, making them valuable assets to their future and also to us. This strong alignment, along with the program's dedication to producing high-caliber professionals, makes me wholeheartedly confident that it helps in fulfilling short and long-term recruitment needs.”

QUOTES FROM STUDENTS

“With co-op, I'm developing vital skills and increasing my confidence by immersing myself in real-world professional scenarios. The combination of work and study shapes me into a well-rounded professional capable of excelling in my chosen career path.”

“I am extremely satisfied with the UBC APSC Co-op program because it was very helpful in me securing my first co-op as well as my first job! My advisor was helpful in every step of the way and after going through the entire process, I'm much more confident in my future job applications.”

“Co-op is the best way to discover careers in your field and learn life long lessons. I cannot stress how life changing co-op has been for me and I recommend it to anyone.”

STUDENT OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to our Student of the Year 2023 Award Recipient, Fouad Elgamal! Fouad is an undergraduate student in the Chemical & Biological Engineering program in his fifth year at UBC. Fouad has specialized in battery development, working at both an established employer in the fuel cell field as well as most recently at Form Energy, a start-up in renewable energy storage. Here, he designed and performed experiments to characterize new materials and proactively developed new methods that defined how the company performs their material research. From his supervisor, a Senior Battery Engineer: “characterization methods designed by Fouad are used every day by our team… to this day, I am still impressed with Fouad’s care in anticipating the needs of the team.” This led to Fouad delivering a never-before-made high-performance proof-of-concept embodiment, expanding the design space of the team. While on the UBC campus, Fouad may be recognized as a Co-op Peer Advisor or as the Captain of UBC Open Robotics, where he has taken multiple initiatives to support his peers in their own pursuits of valuable work experiences. Read more here.