News


Latest Faculty of Information News

Class of 2018: Co-op grad now does the hiring

Submitted on Monday, November 12, 2018

When Brook Durham applied to the Faculty of Information, its co-op and internship opportunities were a major draw. After finding himself frustrated by the experience requirements of entry level jobs in his field, and tired of the lack of call-backs, Durham was looking for something to give him an edge. He wasn’t expecting miracles from co-op, but as luck would have it, a permanent job opened for him at the Ministry of Transportation, where he did his co-op.

Brook Durham

Brook Durham knows just what his fellow grads can offer employers

Only, it wasn’t all luck. Weeks after he started his co-op, Durham’s office at the Ministry split  into two. Using his education in Archives and Records Management, Durham recognized and seized the opportunity to help shape the newly created Information Management Office and fix the Ministry’s records backlog.

Putting to use the workplace training provided by the co-op program, Durham designed and conducted an Ontario-wide survey of records information management programs, including interviews across three levels of government. He then set out to build a better program for his employer.

Now Durham is one of two full time information management staff working to manage the records of 4,000 Ministry of Transportation employees. After his co-op success, he is passionate about helping other students find a path to employment through co-op and other forms of workplace integrated learning.

In his new role, he’s now hiring students from the Faculty. “Information students’ skill sets align perfectly with our needs,” he said. “It was a no-brainer to hire students from the Faculty of Information co-op.”

Durham’s Ministry currently employs a student from the Information Systems Design concentration, who does records management and Freedom of Information requests at their Toronto office. They also hire students for smaller practicum projects including a User Experience Design student who is working on redesigning their training materials.

Read another Class of Fall 2018  success story: Double Master’s grad lands job at Aga Khan Museum