In just one co-op term, Danny was able to use his coding skills to make a positive impact on the lives of workers and employers in B.C. A fourth-year undergraduate computer science student at Simon Fraser University, Danny was looking for a work placement that offered a chance to make a difference while working on software with a large user base.

A software engineering co-op with the Innovation and Technology Services department at WorkSafeBC was the perfect fit. “This position offered a valuable opportunity for me to learn how to build scalable software and contribute my skills toward WorkSafeBC’s mission,” he says. That mission? To prevent workplace injury, illness, and death, and support injured workers through fair compensation and effective rehabilitation.

Innovative and collaborative workplace

During his co-op, Danny participated in InnoFest, WorkSafeBC’s annual organization-wide innovation event. InnoFest is a chance for multidisciplinary teams from across the organization to work collaboratively to create something new or solve a problem. “It was a really great opportunity to collaborate with people I don’t typically work with on a daily basis. I had the privilege of teaming up with Martin and Willy who are managers in the Enterprise DevOps department,” says Danny.

Designing tools that enhance health and safety practices

At WorkSafeBC, Danny has had the opportunity to work with a full library of software tools, including Angular, Redux NgRx library, Microsoft .NET core Web API framework, and Azure DevOps. “Modern technology and cross-functional teams made it a vibrant learning environment,” he adds.

Danny has used these tools on several projects that aim to enhance health and safety practices for B.C. workers and employers, giving him a chance to make the impact he was looking for before starting at WorkSafeBC. “I’m lucky to be part of a team that supports the Prevention Services team, where our goal is to prevent workplace incidents,” he says. Projects he’s worked on include software to enable individuals to report unsafe workplaces and a service for people to upload data from a hearing test directly to an audiologist.

Opportunities for growth and learning

When asked about his overall experience at WorkSafeBC, Danny shares how mentorship and support has shaped his time here. “WorkSafeBC has a large I&T department and an established agile team. The team provides great mentorship and support, and it has been an amazing opportunity to learn about Cloud integrations as well as working in agile teams.”

Both InnoFest and other projects Danny worked on have provided chances for growth and ongoing learning, furthering his interest in his field. “The projects have sparked an interest in AI and machine learning and made me realize there’s a lot to learn in software development,” he says. “This is a career path I want to continue in.”

To find out more about our co-op work opportunities, visit our student recruitment page.