The C.D. Howe Institute's reputation for quality, integrity and nonpartisanship is its chief asset. Its books, Commentaries and E-Briefs undergo a rigorous two-stage review by internal staff, and by outside academics and independent experts. The Institute publishes only studies that meet its standards for analytical soundness, factual accuracy and policy relevance. It subjects its review and publication process to an annual audit by external experts. As a registered Canadian charity, the C.D. Howe Institute accepts donations to further its mission from individuals, private and public organizations, and charitable foundations. It accepts no donation that stipulates a predetermined result or otherwise inhibits the independence of its staff and authors. The Institute requires that its authors disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest of which they are aware. Institute staff members are subject to a strict conflict of interest policy. C.D. Howe Institute staff and authors provide policy research and commentary on a non-exclusive basis. No Institute publication or statement will endorse any political party, elected official or candidate for elected office. The views expressed are those of the author(s). The Institute does not take corporate positions on policy matters.

Institute publications undergo rigorous external review by academics and independent experts drawn from the public and private sectors. The Institute's peer review ensures the quality, integrity and objectivity of its policy research. The Institute will not publish any study that, in its view, fails to meet these standards.The Institute requires that its authors publicly disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest of which they are aware.In its mission to educate and foster debate on essential public policy issues, the C.D. Howe Institute provides nonpartisan policy advice to interested parties on a non-exclusive basis. The Institute will not endorse any political party, elected official, candidate for elected office, or interest group.As a registered Canadian charity, the C.D. Howe Institute as a matter of course accepts donations from individuals, private and public organizations, charitable foundations and others, by way of general and project support. The Institute will not accept any donation that stipulates a predetermined result or policy stance or otherwise inhibits its independence, or that of its staff and authors, in pursuing scholarly activities or disseminating research results.

Institute's reputation for quality, integrity and nonpartisanship is its chief asset. Its books, Commentaries and E-Briefs undergo a rigorous two-stage review by internal staff, and by outside academics and independent experts. The Institute publishes only studies that meet its standards for analytical soundness, factual accuracy and policy relevance. It subjects its review and publication process to an annual audit by external experts. As a registered Canadian charity, the C.D. Howe Institute accepts donations to further its mission from individuals, private and public organizations, and charitable foundations. It accepts no donation that stipulates a predetermined result or otherwise inhibits the independence of its staff and authors. The Institute requires that its authors publicly disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest of which they are aware. Institute staff members are subject to a strict conflict of interest policy. C.D. Howe Institute staff and authors provide policy research and commentary on a non-exclusive basis. No Institute publication or statement will endorse any political party, elected official or candidate for elected office. The views expressed are those of the author(s). The Institute does not take corporate positions on policy matters.

Participating in co-op programs is linked to higher incomes and a higher likelihood of success in the labour market after graduation, but some get more benefits than others.Adapting to the labour market after post-secondary education and finding a job that matches graduates' skills, while providing a good standard of living, can be a daunting challenge for new graduates. This Commentary investigates whether work-integrated learning (specifically co-op programs) results in higher incomes or other benefits after graduation. It provides an analysis of National Graduate Survey (2013) data to determine (i) the returns to participation in co-op for different fields of study at both the college and university levels, (ii) differential outcomes based on individual characteristics, and (iii) the effects associated with non-monetary success in the labor market.Estimates suggest that co-op programs have significant benefits for participants in the form of eased transition to the labor market and higher incomes after graduation and that they may play a role in overcoming wage gaps associated with bias toward individual characteristics (race, gender, immigration status).Overall, participating in co-op generally appears to be beneficial for graduates' incomes -three years after graduation co-op participants have incomes about $2,000 to $4,000 higher than non-participants. At the college level, participating in co-op does not necessarily lead to higher incomes after graduation across all fields of study. There are, however, significant benefits to participating in co-op at the college level in science and engineering programs. Aggregate results, however, do not capture underlying and important differences in the effects associated with participating in co-op programs that depend on individuals' characteristics and chosen fields of study.The estimated effect of participating in co-op programs differs for women, visible minorities and immigrants, relative to Canadian men. For visible minority and immigrant university graduates, participation in co-op programs is associated with similar incomes to white-male co-op participants. Female co-op program participants that graduated from university received wages similar to male peers that did not participate. Immigrants, women and visible minority individuals that participated in co-op were more likely to be employed full time than non-participants with similar characteristics. Women, unfortunately, tend to receive lower benefits than men from participating in co-op programs in terms of income, getting a first job related to their field of study, or securing a permanent position. Together, these results highlight that co-op programs and work-integrated learning more generally might have a role in reducing wage and employment gaps traditionally associated with bias toward individual characteristics.Government policymakers and educational institutions should continue their support for expanding the programs so they are accessible to more students. At present, co-op programs in arts, educa...

Institute's reputation for quality, integrity and nonpartisanship is its chief asset. Its books, Commentaries and E-Briefs undergo a rigorous two-stage review by internal staff, and by outside academics and independent experts. The Institute publishes only studies that meet its standards for analytical soundness, factual accuracy and policy relevance. It subjects its review and publication process to an annual audit by external experts. As a registered Canadian charity, the C.D. Howe Institute accepts donations to further its mission from individuals, private and public organizations, and charitable foundations. It accepts no donation that stipulates a predetermined result or otherwise inhibits the independence of its staff and authors. The Institute requires that its authors publicly disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest of which they are aware. Institute staff members are subject to a strict conflict of interest policy. C.D. Howe Institute staff and authors provide policy research and commentary on a non-exclusive basis. No Institute publication or statement will endorse any political party, elected official or candidate for elected office. The Institute does not take corporate positions on policy matters.