ALGONQUIN COLLEGE
Horticulture students make great first impression with co-op employers

On Friday, January 10, 2020, the Algonquin College Co-op Department hosted 20 horticulture employers at the Ottawa Campus to connect with Horticultural students at the third annual Horticultural Industries Day.

This annual speed-networking event is an important event for the co-op department to engage both horticulture employers and students, and has quickly become a key event for employers to kick-off their hiring for the spring season.

Our event this year attracted a range of organizations from the Ottawa and surrounding areas including nurseries, garden centres, landscapers and more. Each employer is interested in hiring a Horticultural Industries co-op student from Algonquin for their busiest season of the year.

For employers, this event is a great way to meet and set expectations with Horticulture students that may be working with them this summer. For the students, the event is a perfect opportunity to practice their professional skills, learn more about various co-op positions, and make a good first impression with a potential co-op employer.

We kicked off the event with opening remarks from Senior Vice President Academic, Chris Janzen, who welcomed employers to the Ottawa Campus and remarked on the importance of employer partnerships in the horticulture industry and the impact of work-integrated learning on student success.

To help build student confidence before the speed-networking component we started with a panel discussion to set expectations. Our panelist Madison Glover from Glover Brother's Landscaping and Sylvia Nesbitt from Nesbitt's Greenhouse provided insight into how students can be successful in their job search and once in the workplace.

Both panelists commented on the importance of being a part of the team, being positive, showing professionalism, and expressing an interest in the company. "The most important quality is taking initiative. If you see a job that needs to be done, you do that job immediately without being asked," said Madison Glover. The second, more important quality is "accountability and doing that job well. If you see a plant that's not planted well, re-plant it." Thirdly, "having a positive mindset every day and being willing to learn. With these qualities you will rise quickly with the company."

The speed-networking session gave students five minutes at each employer table. This allowed the student an opportunity to practice their elevator pitch and ask questions about the co-op jobs available at each company. Employers commented that they were impressed with the students they met with as they were well-prepared and had done their research on their company. They appreciated the time to meet and discuss each student's interests in horticulture, and share an overview of their organization so they could set expectations of the responsibilities of the roles available.

We closed the event with final remarks from President Claude Brulé. "What a fantastic way to connect our employers and students. (It's) education in action, where you get to apply and practice your skills. We are very proud of our learners," said President Brulé.

The Horticultural Industries program has a mandatory co-op that students must participate in to earn credit to graduate. Co-op for this program happens in the spring and summer so that students have an opportunity to experience the preparation and  pressures the companies experience during their peak season. Students complete co-op in their third level so they can bring the knowledge they learned back to the classroom for their final level of studies.