My Co-op Work Term Report

By: Harishan

Hi, my name is Harishan Thilakanathan, and I am pursuing a Bachelor of Computing (Honours) in Software Engineering with a minor in Applied Geomatics at the University of Guelph.

During my Fall 2025 co-op work term (September–December), I worked as a Research Analyst with Ontario’s Ministry of Energy, specifically on the Broadband Data and Finance team, in a hybrid role between the Guelph and Toronto offices.

My experience for the past 4 months was unique and fun, and I learned a lot. In this blog, I will be talking about my employer, my goals, important learnings, job tasks I worked on, and acknowledgments.

Information About the Employer

My employer was the Ontario Ministry of Energy and Mines, part of the Ontario Public Service (OPS). The Ministry focuses on policies and programs related to energy and mineral resources, and my role supported broadband infrastructure initiatives aimed at improving connectivity and access across Ontario.

Since I worked on the data side of our Broadband Data and Finance team, my role was closely related to data analytics and using geospatial computing. The team uses big datasets and tools such as ArcGIS, along with Python and SQL, to analyze broadband coverage, identify underserved areas, and support evidence-based funding and policy decisions.

I had the opportunity to work from both the Guelph Office (1 Stone Road West) and the Toronto office (777 Bay Street). I have to say both offices looked amazing, especially the architecture in the Guelph office. I also had the opportunity to work on the 26th floor at the Toronto office, and the view was amazing.

Something interesting I realized about working for Ontario is that within a ministry there are so many different teams, and smaller teams within those teams for things like data, finance, policy, etc. I would have never known this without working at OPS. An interesting fact is that the team I worked on was originally part of the Ministry of Infrastructure, but then switched to the Ministry of Energy and Mines. So, on my access cards and on the Experience Guelph website it still says “Ministry of Infrastructure”.

Picture of Harishan

Goals

1) Improve my technical skills in Python, ArcGIS, SQL, and Excel so I can help contribute to the team in a positive way.

I think I did well on completing this goal. I was able to consistently improve my skills in ArcGIS from using it every day. I was also able to improve at writing SQL queries and automating through Python scripts. This helped me contribute positively to the team and help out with the tasks. Overall, I would say I improved a lot on my technical skills.

2) My goal with oral communication is to make sure that I am always communicating well with my team. Whether that be communicating about tasks, asking questions, or even always letting them know what I’m working on.

I think I did well on this goal. I always made sure to communicate with my team members through Microsoft Teams. I always let them know what I am working on, and asked them any questions I had. I even improved my communication in general through weekly team meetings and a GIS demo I had to give. Even after completing a task I would need to explain my process to team members. This helped me improve a lot in communicating and explaining my work. Overall, I think I did well on my communicating goal, but I can keep improving.

3) Continuously improve my data analysis and research skills so I can make an impact in the role.

I feel like my data analysis skills really improved through this role. I improved at comparing, processing, validating, and analyzing the data. Also, as the term went along, I got better at working with the provided datasets to complete the tasks and find patterns. I also slowly understood how all the datasets complement and connect with each other as the term went on. This allowed me to really understand and complete the tasks given to me.

4) Consistently take time to fully understand tasks and project requirements before starting in order to improve efficiency and accuracy.

As the term went along, I improved at this goal. At the start of the term, I would quickly jump on tasks and try to finish them quickly. As time went on, and from the feedback I received, I made sure to take time with tasks so I could understand them better and find more efficient and accurate solutions. I also made sure to take notes on my steps when completing tasks so I can reflect and improve. Overall, I would say I did well on completing this goal. This is also something I will remember for future co-ops and regular tasks.

1) Improve my technical skills in Python, ArcGIS, SQL, and Excel so I can help contribute to the team in a positive way.

I think I did well on completing this goal. I was able to consistently improve my skills in ArcGIS from using it every day. I was also able to improve at writing SQL queries and automating through Python scripts. This helped me contribute positively to the team and help out with the tasks. Overall, I would say I improved a lot on my technical skills.

2) My goal with oral communication is to make sure that I am always communicating well with my team. Whether that be communicating about tasks, asking questions, or even always letting them know what I’m working on.

I think I did well on this goal. I always made sure to communicate with my team members through Microsoft Teams. I always let them know what I am working on, and asked them any questions I had. I even improved my communication in general through weekly team meetings and a GIS demo I had to give. Even after completing a task I would need to explain my process to team members. This helped me improve a lot in communicating and explaining my work. Overall, I think I did well on my communicating goal, but I can keep improving.

3) Continuously improve my data analysis and research skills so I can make an impact in the role.

I feel like my data analysis skills really improved through this role. I improved at comparing, processing, validating, and analyzing the data. Also, as the term went along, I got better at working with the provided datasets to complete the tasks and find patterns. I also slowly understood how all the datasets complement and connect with each other as the term went on. This allowed me to really understand and complete the tasks given to me.

4) Consistently take time to fully understand tasks and project requirements before starting in order to improve efficiency and accuracy.

As the term went along, I improved at this goal. At the start of the term, I would quickly jump on tasks and try to finish them quickly. As time went on, and from the feedback I received, I made sure to take time with tasks so I could understand them better and find more efficient and accurate solutions. I also made sure to take notes on my steps when completing tasks so I can reflect and improve. Overall, I would say I did well on completing this goal. This is also something I will remember for future co-ops and regular tasks.

Key Learnings

For the most part, I did develop these goals relating to my job tasks. I also wanted to use this work opportunity to improve in some of the goals I listed. I learned and improved a lot on my technical skills and soft skills. Technically speaking, I improved my data analysis skills and tools like ArcGIS, Python, SQL, and Excel. Soft skills-wise, I improved my communication, time management, and problem-solving skills. The skills I learned will help me do well in my next work experience. I have learned a lot of technical skills and soft skills, but here are three key learnings from this co-op work term.

1) Never trust the data

This job required me to work with a lot of different datasets. Datasets from a lot of different places. I quickly learned that big datasets often contain inconsistencies and errors, such as inconsistent naming conventions, incorrect measurements, and outdated or incomplete records. From working with these datasets and having conversations with experienced team members, I realized that I cannot trust the data without validation.

As a result, I learned the importance of validating data before using it for analysis or decision-making. Whenever I receive a new dataset, I should perform my own validation checks, including quick checks, comparisons with existing data, and basic test calculations, to ensure the data is reasonable and reliable. While it is not always possible to validate every aspect of a dataset, these checks will help identify potential issues early and increase confidence in the results.

2) Always take notes on the work I do and the steps, especially when starting out

Early in my work term, I realized how easy it is to forget small but important details, such as the steps taken to complete a task or the reasoning behind certain decisions. This became especially important when working on complex or multi-step tasks.

As a result, I developed the habit of consistently taking detailed notes on my tasks and workflows. These notes allowed me to retrace my steps when I came across issues, avoid repeating mistakes, and complete similar tasks more efficiently in the future. Additionally, maintaining detailed notes enabled me to reflect on my work at the end of the term and better understand how my skills and responsibilities evolved over time. This key takeaway improved both my organization and problem-solving abilities and will continue to help me in future roles.

3) A good team matters for overall success and individual improvement.

This co-op term was my first experience working as part of a professional team. Initially, I felt nervous attending weekly meetings and other spontaneous meetings, as this environment was new to me. However, I quickly became more comfortable as I engaged with my team and developed a clearer understanding of the work. I quickly realized that a good team environment was very important, with members who were always willing to offer guidance and answer questions. Being able to ask questions without hesitation allowed me to better understand my tasks, make fewer mistakes, and continuously improve my technical and soft skills. This is important for individual development as a co-op student but also to the overall success of the team.

Job Description

Going into this job, I figured that it would be more related to research. However, coming out of the job, I would say a huge component is data analysis. My day-to-day tasks involved the validation, analysis, and reporting of large-scale datasets to support broadband infrastructure planning, funding decisions, and policy development. The main tool was ArcGIS, which I used to analyze data and create maps. Within ArcGIS I used Python and SQL to help me with my tasks. I would do tasks like updating/processing broadband-related datasets, creating maps, using open-source data for validation, and giving demos to the team.

Throughout the term, I worked with several key datasets, including broadband coverage data from ISED, parcel-level property data from MPAC (representing over four million properties), datasets identifying underserved premises, and boundary datasets such as municipalities and First Nation reserves. These datasets were used to assess service availability, validate eligibility for funding programs, and support decision-making. I would say a unique aspect of the job was that the tasks I received would most times be very different from each other. What I mean is that it wasn't just one big project throughout the whole term. I was able to transfer the problem-solving and data skills learned from one task to efficiently complete other tasks. Since I am familiar with Python and SQL, I used them within ArcGIS to help with queries and automate certain tasks.

Most of the skills I learned on my own, but a lot of classes did help me. Software Design (I, II, III) helped with managing tasks and working with a group, Software System Development & Integration (CIS*2750) helped me with SQL and Python, and finally Mapping and GIS (GEOG*2480) helped with using ArcGIS.

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge everyone on my team, as they were super welcoming and nice to me. I would also like to acknowledge and give a special thanks to Christine, Alexander, and Jay who were part of the data side of the team. They helped me a lot throughout my work term in answering questions and helping me improve. I would also like to thank my manager Brenda for supporting me throughout my work term and making the process easy.

Conclusion

Overall, this co-op work term was a valuable and meaningful experience. Through my role as a Research Analyst, I was able to apply both my Software Engineering and GIS knowledge to real-world data analysis tasks that supported broadband infrastructure planning and policy decisions. This website highlights my employer, goals, key learnings, and job responsibilities during my time working with the Ontario government.