![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9a3952b985590a9f12b822e95ef80f6d.jpeg\")
A group of early-career professionals, including Sydney Hanson (middle) connect and collaborate in one of Tru Cooperative Bank’s shared office spaces. \u00b7 GlobeNewswire Inc. <\/p>\nReal experience starts with real opportunity.<\/p>\n
A group of early-career professionals, including Sydney Hanson (middle) connect and collaborate in one of Tru Cooperative Bank’s shared office spaces. \u00b7 GlobeNewswire Inc. <\/p>\n
LANGLEY, B.C., May 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)<\/a> — Tru Cooperative Bank is welcoming 27\u00a0post\u2011secondary students into paid summer co\u2011op and internship roles across Canada, continuing the cooperative\u2019s commitment to creating real pathways from education to employment at a time when young Canadians continue to face a difficult job market.<\/p>\n Statistics Canada has reported that labour market conditions for youth have been more challenging since\u00a02024, with higher unemployment persisting into 2025. More recently, the Labour Force Survey reported a decline in youth employment\u00a0early in 2026, underscoring the importance of employers continuing to create entry\u2011level opportunities.<\/p>\n Through paid placements and structured learning,\u00a0Tru Cooperative Bank\u2019s\u00a0program helps students build practical skills and professional experience that can support their transition from school to career. Many students return to the organization in future\u00a0terms\u00a0and some\u00a0continue\u00a0on\u00a0to build longer-term careers\u00a0there, reflecting the program\u2019s focus on meaningful work and mentorship.<\/p>\n \u201cBuilding early talent is an essential investment in the future strength of our communities and Canada\u2019s workforce,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0Margo Lawrence, Tru Cooperative Bank\u2019s Senior Vice President, People & Culture.\u00a0\u201cWhen the job market is toughest for young people,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0creating opportunities by\u00a0offering paid, meaningful roles where students can build confidence, contribute to real work, and build career momentum.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a win-win that\u00a0benefits\u00a0our organization too.\u201d<\/p>\n “Starting here as a co\u2011op student, I was trusted with work that mattered,\u201d\u00a0says Sydney Hanson, a Treasury Analyst at Tru Cooperative Bank, who joined the organization through the student internship program in 2024 and later moved into a permanent role in Treasury.\u00a0\u201cThe culture was incredibly welcoming, and I learned quickly because people took the time to coach me and include me. One of the reporting tools I built as a student is still being used today, which is a great feeling. It showed me I could contribute in a real way while building skills and relationships that helped me picture what a career here could look like.”<\/p>\n Tru Cooperative Bank is also celebrating\u00a0external\u00a0recognition for the quality of its work-integrated learning partnerships.\u00a0The University of Victoria has named\u00a0Island Savings\u00a0\u2014\u00a0one of\u00a0Tru Cooperative Bank\u2019s divisions\u00a0\u2014\u00a0its\u00a0Co-op Employer of the Year (50+ employee category). Since 2017,\u00a0Tru Cooperative Bank has\u00a0hired more than 40 co-op students\u00a0from\u00a0UVic\u00a0across disciplines including commerce, computer science and psychology, pairing students with mentors and offering leadership exposure, learning opportunities, and hands-on experiences that connect classroom learning to community impact.<\/p>\n In 2021, Tru Cooperative Bank launched its formal student internship program to help bridge the gap between education and\u00a0employment, and\u00a0has welcomed\u00a0between\u00a015 and 30 students per year.\u00a0This year\u2019s co\u2011op and internship cohort will work across business disciplines including\u00a0retail,\u00a0finance, credit, operations, risk, marketing, legal services, and information technology. Students interested in learning more about co\u2011op and internship opportunities at Tru Cooperative Bank can visit www.careers.firstwestcu.ca\/internships.<\/a><\/p>\n Attachment<\/p>\n CONTACT: Josh Juhlke Tru Cooperative Bank 4163605967 jjuhlke@firstwestcu.ca<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Real experience starts with real opportunity. A group of early-career professionals, including Sydney Hanson (middle) connect and collaborate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33230,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[17,14865,1672,5680,14866],"class_list":{"0":"post-33229","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"tag-canada","9":"tag-cooperative-bank","10":"tag-statistics-canada","11":"tag-students","12":"tag-sydney-hanson"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}