CanWORK is an employment program that supports students who identify as having a disability or mental health challenges as they engage in meaningful, paid, degree-related work experience during their degrees and develop tools for long-term success.

This is a a program developed by CanASSIST and UVIC in collaboration.

PROS:

• Open to students who identify as having one or more disabilities or mental-health challenges
• Personalized job-readiness coaching
• No GPA requirements
• Part-time opportunities are possible (completed in a minimum of 315 hrs as opposed to CO-OP’s 420 hrs)
• Can optionally count towards CO-OP credits*

*provided you meet standard UVIC CO-OP GPA requirements for your department

CONS:

• Must be a registered UVIC student
• Excludes students for whose UVIC departments that have mandatory CO-OP terms (Law, Engineering, etc.)
• All completed work terms will be officially noted on students’ transcript as an official Work Experience
• Completed 1st year of study required
• Tuition for program is equivalent to standard UVIC CO-OP program
• Must compete with abled students using standard UVIC CO-OP jobs using the same, inaccessible website