Post-Secondary Co-op/Internship Program

Choose the Government of Canada, the top student employer in Canada, for your next co-op/internship placement:

• gain hands-on experience
• benefit from a diverse and inclusive workplace
• kick-start a meaningful career that spans hundreds of fields and offers thousands of jobs across the country

Find out about rates of pay.

Information for students

How it works

• Check if your program is on the list of validated post-secondary academic institutions and programs
• Contact your school’s co-op/internship program coordinator and ask about federal public service job opportunities
  • Once you apply to a job opportunity through your school, if you’re selected for further consideration, you may be invited to write an exam or participate in an interview

Students with disabilities: We want to make sure that you have the support you need to fully demonstrate your abilities. If you’re contacted for an exam or interview, ask the hiring manager for accommodation measures. This information will be kept confidential.

Information for co-op/internship coordinators in academic institutions

Academic institutions play a crucial role in placing students through this program. The partnership between hiring manager, academic institution and student is key to the success of the internship.  

How it works

• Co-op or internship coordinators contact the Public Service Commission of Canada at cfp.coop-coop.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca to have their program validated and added to the list of validated post-secondary academic institutions and programs
• Hiring managers contact the co-op or internship coordinator directly to advertise their job opportunities
• Selected students may be invited to write an exam or to participate in an interview
• Hired students can be re-hired after their work term or internship, during their studies or after graduation

List of validated programs

Co-op and internship programs must meet 4 requirements to be added to the list of validated programs:

• the academic institution must be authorized by a province or territory to grant diplomas or degrees
• the work term or internship must be an academic requirement, as determined by the academic institution
• the academic institution must authorize students to be paid
• students must have full-time status at their post-secondary academic institution
  • this includes students with a visible or invisible disability, deemed to have full-time status by their academic institution, as well as people participating in adult education and retraining programs at the high school level

Contact us

For more information about the program, contact us at cfp.coop-coop.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca.

Other opportunities for students and graduates

• Federal Student Work Experience Program
• Find a student research job in the government
• Post-secondary recruitment program
• Start a career as a policy leader
• Government of Canada jobs for Indigenous people
• Other government of Canada opportunities for students and graduates