Hire Local

CO-OP students available to work in 2025!

Hire Local is a consortium of four post-secondary institutions in the Ottawa region — Algonquin College, Carleton University, La Cité, and the University of Ottawa — along with key leading partners: The KNBA, The Ottawa Board of Trade, Invest Ottawa, the City of Ottawa.

We are an innovative, sustainable and radical collaboration. We believe supporting our local economy goes beyond buying local; we can also hire local.

The Hire Local consortium works to address the industry’s largest issue: attracting, hiring and retaining talent. There are over 12,000 co-op students available from four local post-secondary institutions, making this a great place to start.

#HireLocalOttawa #RecrutezLocalementOttawa

Student smiling filling out an application

Why #HireLocalOttawa?

Positive impact on our local economy
Increased chance that local talent stays in Ottawa after graduation
Industry can build a pipeline of talent to support Ottawa's economy
Build a greater sense of community and culture

 We invite you to
#HireLocalOttawa.

Hire from Our Local Post-Secondary Institutions

The Ottawa region is home to four world-class post-secondary institutions. Each of these PSIs have hundreds of co-op students with unique skills to support local businesses. Find out more about each institution’s co-op program below.

Algonquin College

Top five reasons to hire from Algonquin College’s co-op program:

  • All programs offer experiential learning opportunities, with over 50 programs offering cooperative education.
  • Technology-based Programs, including Computer Programmer and Computer Engineering Technology – Computing Science are very popular. Students work directly with the technology currently being used by industry leaders. The School of Advanced Technology programs were designed to meet the needs of the Ottawa tech sector.
  • Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management was created by industry experts. It’s the first program of its kind in Eastern Ontario.
    The Co-op Department provides many regional employers with students from the Architecture Technician program to Construction Engineering Technician and Building Sciences programs, and more.
  • Experienced students are available. Many Algonquin students come to the College already having completed a university undergraduate degree.

Contact our Hire Local Ambassador, Lisa Benoit at benoitl@algonquincollege.com.

Carleton University

Top five reasons to hire from Carleton University’s co-op program:

  • No ranking and matching. Continuous recruitment process!
  • Access to a diverse pool of candidates who are committed to Ottawa as a place to study and work.
  • Broad range of Business and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) students to choose from.
  • A growing cluster of co-op programs focused on mental health (Cognitive Science, Neuroscience and Mental Health, and Psychology).
  • Building & Design programs, including Architecture, Architecture Conservation and Sustainability Engineering, and Industrial Design.

Contact our Hire Local Ambassador, Travis Flieler, at travis.flieler@carleton.ca.

Employers looking for more information on hiring local students and graduates, please click here.

Employers looking for more information on funding to help support hiring students, please click here.

La Cité

Top five reasons to hire from La Cité’s co-op program:

  • Bilingual students able to communicate in both official languages.
  • Unique co-op program in agriculture for the region.
  • Second place in Ontario for the quality of our facility and the latest technology on the market.
  • Employment placement rate of 90.5% for graduating students.
  • Specifically recognized for co-op computer programs.

Contact our Hire Local Ambassador, Sophie Pomerleau, at spomer@lacitec.on.ca.

Employers looking for more information on hiring local students and graduates, please click here.

Employers looking for more information on funding to help support hiring students, please click here.

University of Ottawa

Top five reasons to hire from uOttawa’s co-op program:

  • Best source of bilingual talent.
  • Top five co-op program in the country; second in Ontario.
  • Various recruitment mechanisms to give employers options.
  • 150 of the most in-demand students are admitted to our co-op program in Software Engineering each year.
  • 4,300 co-op placements in 2023 with students from over 90 programs of study and 6 different faculties.

Contact our Hire Local Ambassador, Achraf Djerbib, at achraf.djerbib@uottawa.ca.

Employers looking for more information on hiring local students and graduates, please click here.

Employers looking for more information on funding to help support hiring students, please click here.

Our Key Leading Partners