Overview of the co-op process at Cincinnati State for employers.

1. Cooperative Education
Cincinnati State

2. Cincinnati State was founded
on the principle that
education occurs best when
classroom instruction is
reinforced by related work
experience acquired through
Cooperative Education.

3. Integration of
Cooperative classroom
learning with
Education practical work
experience…

4. Who Benefits?
Students
Employers
Cincinnati State

5. Students
• Enhances students marketability by providing valuable
degree-related work experience to add to resume.
• Enables students to earn money to help defray college
expenses.
• Develops professional competence and business skills.
• Helps students gain exposure to the job market.
• Make contacts in profession for future job searches.
• Get job offers for permanent positions upon graduation.
• Helps develop long range career goals and clarification
of career goals.
• Provides academic credit toward graduation.

6. Employers
• Increases cost-effectiveness of recruitment and
training.
• Provides an opportunity to evaluate employees prior
to a decision regarding full-time employment.
• Allows flexibility in staffing needs.
• Brings state-of-the-art technical knowledge to the
workplace.
• Fosters relationships with the academic community.

7. Cincinnati State
• Provides recognition in the community.
• Serves as a recruitment tool for new students.
• Increases retention of current students.
• Fosters relationships with the business community.
• Keeps curriculums relevant to the workplace.
• Helps to develop scholarship opportunities from local
businesses.
• Maintains our national exposure and reputation, thus
attracting quality faculty, staff and administrators.

8. General Overview of Co-op
• Mandatory
• Academic Credit Awarded and Graded
• 15 week work experience in the students academic field
• It can be
• Part-time (Between 20 – 31 hours per week)
• Full-time – Back to Back Semesters (32 hours per week or more)
• Full-time Alternating
• It must be
• Paid
• Supervised
• Evaluated

9. How Does Co-op Work?

10. The Process – Cincinnati State Side
• Student Recruitment/Orientation
• Faculty Participation
• Job Development
• Employer Relations
• Interview Process
• Placement
• Monitoring and Supervision
• On-Site Visits
• Reports and Evaluations
• Assignment Completion/Credit Granted

11. BT 9200 - Professional
Practices
 Career Exploration
 Resume Writing
 Business Etiquette
 Professional Presence
 Interviewing
 PlacePro Basics
 Business Ethics

12. General Information
• Co-op at Cincinnati State is a 15 week semester work
experience in the students academic field.
• It can be
• Part-time (Between 20 – 31 hours per week)
• Full-time – Back to Back Semesters (32 hours per week or more)
• Full-time Alternating
• It must be
• Paid
• Supervised
• Evaluated

13. Co-op Process
The Employer Side

14. What Positions Qualify?
A position may qualify for co-op if:
• The student will be paid for work performed.
• The job relates to a curriculum or career choice
of students.
• The employer will supervise the student at work
and evaluate the performance.
• A faculty member may visit the student and
supervisor on the job.
• The possibility exists for student growth on the
job, coinciding with advanced coursework.

15. Employer Process
• Analyze company needs for working with a co-op
program
– Recruitment pipeline
– Temporary employment
– Community Good

16. Recruitment Pipeline
• Consider this as part of your long term hiring
process or On-boarding process.
• Ideas to consider
– Build a sequence of work assignments that build
skill sets or experience your company needs
– Consider options that will allow the co-op student
to spend long periods of time with your
organization
– Think about learning goals or objectives your
company would like this new employee to have

17. Temporary Employment
• Keep this in mind when you are looking for semi-
skilled individuals and your company needs skill
for a set period of time.
• Ideas to consider
– Be specific in task your company needs
accomplished
– What are your specific period of times needed

18. Elements of Success
• Commitment
• Integration
• Coordination
• Budget
• Salary
• Relationships
• Teamwork
• Supervision

19. Some Key Factors – They Are Your Employee
• Provide clear job/project description
• Orient student to the organization and culture
• Create learning agreements
– Ensure they don’t have idle time
– Design progressive work assignments
– Avoid relegating co-op to tasks no one else wants to do
• Monitor student progress
– Meet frequently with the co-op student
• Evaluate progress
• Deal with problems or issues that arise
– Include Cincinnati State’s Co-op Coordinator

20. Steps to Connect
• Define your position
• Determine work arrangement
– Fulltime – typically 32-40 hours/week
• Alternating semesters vs. Back-to-Back
– Part-time – 20-31 hours/week
• Parallel – go to school and work
• Work with Cincinnati State Co-op Coordinator to
Recruit and Review Resumes
– Determine the interview process
• Notify Coordinator upon hiring a co-op

21. Timing
The chart below provides a brief timeline for the Co-op
program.
Student Start Date When to Contact Us Interview Period
January / Spring October November
May / Summer February March
August / Fall June July
**Specific dates vary each semester/year
and can be provided to you by request.

22. How Students Participate
Student eligibility requirements differ with each
program however most programs, student
must:
– Must be fully admitted to a program or
major
– Complete pre-requisites for eligibility to co-
op
– Most require “C” or better GPA over
specific coursework prior to participation
– Attend Co-op Orientation

23. After Co-op Orientation
Students will meet with Co-op Coordinators to
• Review Resume
• Prepare for the Co-op Search Process
• Submit Resumes to Co-op Coordinator

24. Cincinnati State Accomplishments
• First two-year college to establish mandatory co-op
program in US.
– First year, 118 students with 38 co-op employers.
– Today, average 3,000 placements annually with
approximately 700 employers.
• 1998 E. Sam Sovilla Award of Excellence
• 2003-2011 ranked largest two-year co-op program in
US and 4th largest including all universities in US.

25. Cincinnati State Accomplishments
• Featured in Wall Street Journal.
• Profiled on ABC national news.
• Delivered over 300 co-op/internship training & conference
presentations.
• 28 Faculty/staff have held leadership positions on
professional organizations’ Board of Directors.
(OCEA, MCEIA, CEIA, NCCE, WACE)
• 14 Educator Awards from co-op/internship professional
organizations.
• Hosted and/or chaired over 20 co-op/internship
conferences in greater Cincinnati and across US.

26. Cincinnati State Accomplishments
• 2007 inducted into the Cooperative Education Hall
of Honor. Along with Georgia Tech, distinguished
as the first college/university inductees.
“We are accepting this award on behalf of
everyone who has contributed to our long history of
leadership and success in cooperative education.”
Dr. Ron Wright, President
Cincinnati State College