Leveraging a Canadian Advantage in Asia: Strategic Expansion of the Canada-Japan Co-operative Education Program

Established in 1991, the Canada Japan Co-op Program (CJCP) has sent more than 1,200 (mostly STEM) students to Japan for work terms; the Program is comprised of a consortium of Canadian colleges and universities, with the Program office housed at UBC. The university seeks to diversify the students who participate, ultimately strengthening Canada’s future workforce with more post-secondary educated graduates with global and Asia-specific competencies. The project, supported by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan and existing co-op employers in Japan, will result in 27 new 8-month co-op terms for EDI students and 26, 8-month co-op terms for other students.