II. F. Consortium Placements

When government, industry or university strategic planners identify a particular need for technology transfer or human resource development on a large scale, a consortium may be created to meet the challenge. A good example of this is the Co-op Japan Program in Canada. Established in 1991, it was the first program of its kind to pioneer the consortium approach to the development of international co-op placements. With government funding, four (initially) co-op universities in Canada created an administrative unit to facilitate the one-way placement of science and engineering co-op students in Japan. Working directly with Japanese industry, which has very little if any co-op experience, Co-op Japan has been able to develop suitable placements in various industry sectors. Twenty Canadian universities now participate in the consortium.

The program is open to senior university students with a B+ average who have prior related co-op work experience. Completion of one credit or non-credit Japanese language course as well as participation in a one-month immersion Japanese language and culture program ensures that students are well prepared for their work terms in Japan.

Similar government funded consortia have recently developed in other countries. The United States' JIMT Program (Japan Industry Management Technology Program) which involves 12 universities, and the EU-Japan Program, open to university students in the European Union, are good examples.

the formalized structure may be more successful for obtaining funding; staff dedicated to international placements can focus on developing employer contacts. This would be more expensive and time consuming if each university tried to do this on its own; admission, placement, monitoring and reporting procedures are controlled by the dedicated and internationally experienced staff, making quality control easier; students at universities without international contacts and experience can participate; employers can have access to a wide variety of students through a 'single window' by dealing with a single administrative contact point; enables the development of a repository of international experience and expertise that can be shared by a larger number of universities.	requires higher levels of funding to maintain the program office and cover travel costs; difficult to engage faculty and discipline-related staff in placement activity.

The Consortium Model may also be the most effective way for countries and their industries to work through government agencies, paving the way for international educational activities including co-op, full-time, faculty and staff exchanges.

A Guide for Developing International Co-op Programs