Registration, Application, Pre-placement and Placement Process

When the annual secondary school registration process has been completed, co-op teachers initiate a first interview to approve the registered co-op students. Selected co-op students from the first interview, who clearly demonstrate an interest and willingness to engage in the academic STEMM disciplines in health research are scheduled for a 2nd interview.

The 2nd interview is scheduled to discuss the documentation that must be completed and edited with the teacher. When all PEL applicants are registered, the PEL director will conduct a group interview at the school and initiate the pre-placement process with each applicant. Directions for submitting the PEL application documentation to the PEL Dropbox will be given during the group interview. Applicants who are committed to the application process are invited to the annual Oncology Research and Education Day in June and the matching process begins.

Each student is carefully matched with experiential learning opportunities in the mentor sites associated with oncology, vascular disease, primary health care, and musculoskeletal health as well as health research sites in the Lawson, Robarts and Western University Faculties of Science, Engineering Science, Health Science and Medicine & Dentistry. The PEL director works with the co-op teachers and selected students to ensure that they are matched and placed appropriately.

Each PEL co-op student must attend one of the PEL Orientation Seminars that occurs in either September or December of each school year prior to entering the placement, and the Secondary School Gairdner Event in October. Prior to confirming a placement, the PEL director will consult with the student to ensure that the student is placed properly. This step may require an interview with the PEL mentor. Once the PEL co-op student is placed, the co-op teacher delivers the program as directed by the Ministry of Education Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning Policies and Procedures for Ontario Secondary Schools, 2000.

Steps in Registration, Application and Pre-placement
Teacher Teacher Checklist
Student Student Checklist
2nd Interview
PEL Application Form
Steps in Placement
Teacher Semester 1/Semester 2 Checklist
London Central Checklist
Wheable Checklist
Student Semester 1 Checklist
London Central Checklist
Semester 2 Checklist
Wheable Checklist

Quick Facts about the PEL Program 

  1. PEL promotes the STEMM disciplines and academic pathways to careers in STEMM in the secondary school community;

  2. We initiate partners in education initiatives among the 40 secondary schools in the Thames Valley District School Board and London District Catholic School Board region and the health research community;

  3. This year we have ~79 co-op student applicants, 12 schools and 15 teachers working with us to enrich the secondary school curriculum and contribute to the work of the health research community;

  4. We interview, match, place and orient PEL co-op students and process workplace expectations as required by institutes so that students may enter and work in the health / hospital research community;

  5. Semester students will spend 186h in the workplace and are in the lab every day from mid-September to mid-January or mid-February to mid-June for 2.5-3.0h/day to earn 2 senior secondary school credits;

  6. London Central students work every other day to earn their 186h credits; 

  7. Liability issues are covered by the Ministry of Education and there is no cost to the lab/workplace;

  8. All students will be oriented by PEL on SEP15 and DEC08 and students will present curriculum-based documentation before entering the workplace;

  9. The cooperative education teacher will be responsible for the curriculum expectations and will meet with mentors to discuss details;

  10. We will connect mentors, teachers and students and confirm a ‘match’ before the student arrives at their placement.