BU alumnus Davion Johnson leads Co-op Program in 2022

A skilled educator with experience supporting student success is leading Brandon University’s (BU’s) growing Co-operative Education program this year.

Davion Johnson is filling the role held by Cora Dupuis while Dupuis takes study leave for the 2022 calendar year to complete her PhD in Educational Studies.

A recent graduate of BU’s Master of Education program in Guidance and Counselling, Johnson also holds a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Central Connecticut State University. He brings experience at both the post-secondary and K-12 levels. As a BU graduate student, Davion worked as a research assistant on projects such BU CARES VOICE Project, Urban Gardens Project and Re-Imagine Lakeshore School Project. Additionally, he contributed to the BU Journal of Graduate Studies, presented a 3MT (three-minute thesis), served a year as a student representative on the BU Senate, and recently participated in the BU Mental Health on the Prairies virtual conference.

“I came to BU as a graduate international student in 2016, and I have fallen in love with the community,” Johnson said. “I’m thrilled to call Brandon home and to raise my family here while contributing to a program that provides incredible growth opportunities for students.”

Johnson will manage all aspects of the Co-op program, which currently includes 55 students who integrate study periods with paid work experience in fields related to their programs. That will grow significantly with support from the RBC Future Launch program adding 450 new Co-op spaces over three years. The program will create three on-campus student jobs this summer.

Since its launch in 2018, BU’s Co-op program has steadily expanded so that it is now open to students in nearly every Arts and Science program. Dupuis, who will return in January 2023, worked with Johnson before her departure to familiarize him with the program and introduce him to students, employers and industry contacts who have been key to BU Co-op’s early success.

Universities Canada national statistics show that 80 per cent of employers say that co-operative education students bring new skills and creativity to their business and they are highly likely to hire again. Last year, 90 per cent of BU Co-op students had a successful placement.

“We have Co-op students working in Brandon, throughout Western Manitoba, and beyond, and the feedback we get from employers is that they are tremendous assets to their organizations,” Johnson said. “The students and the employers both benefit greatly from the relationship, and I’m excited to be able to build on the momentum that Cora has created.

“With help from the RBC Future Launch program there are tremendous opportunities right now and in the coming years for students and the organizations who make the Co-op program successful.”

To learn more about the Co-operative Education Program at BU, visit BrandonU.ca/Co-op.

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