Internship and co-op programs a valuable combination for collegians

Black Collegian, Oct 1999 by McIver, Linedda Cates

You can turn yourself into one of the most attractive candidates on the job market and place yourself in a highly competitive posture if you have some type work experiences. In fact, many companies who recruit college graduates will not even consider for an interview a student who has not participated in an internship or cooperative education program.

Applied learning programs such as internships and cooperative education programs (co-op) combine your academic learning with supervised practical experience and serves as a bridge from the classroom to the workplace. In other words, you'll have the opportunity to apply what you've learned in the classroom in a professional work environment before graduating from college.

There are distinct differences between the two programs. Cooperative education is a professional development program that enables you to alternate sessions of full-time paid employment with sessions of on-campus study. You will have to extend your education to a five-year curriculum to accommodate an alternating schedule. Internships, on the other hand, allows you to earn academic credit and work experience on a semester by semester basis, and offer the flexibility that allows you to graduate with a four-year period.

To benefit from these programs, you need to start with the end in mind, and decide which program is best for you. Even though both types of programs give you an edge after graduation, you need to judge the programs based on what you will get out of your participation.

Internships fall into two categories, academic and nonacademic. To receive academic credit, you must make sure that the work is associated with your major and that all parties, including the university, the employer, and you, agree to the terms. The institution usually determines whether your academic credit will be based upon a prescribed number of hours or post-internship reports describing your experience. A non-academic internship is a two-party agreement between you and the employer. You may receive relevant work experience, but no academic credits. Credited or not, internships have proven to be an important aspect of a sound education, a fact that Mark Oldman, co-author of two best sellers, The Internship Bible and America's Top Internships, can't stress enough. He says, "The day of viewing internships as an optional enhancement to you academic record is over. It si an essential component of your collegiate experience."

"When an employer sees that you have done an internship, it indicates that you have gained exposure to a particular industry. More importantly, it shows that you have the office skills and soft skills, such as how to be professional, and how not to step on toes when carrying out work assignments. These are things you can only learn on a job," Oldman said.

Extensive on-the-job training is offered through cooperative education programs. You must complete a certain amount of curriculum prior to beginning a co-op assignment because you are involved in work that is directly related to your field of studies, and you are expected to perform in tandem with professional counterparts.

Co-op students can choose from several plans to work either part-time or full-time. The most popular is called the alternating plan which allows you to alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of full-time work. At least two work terms are required with this plan. The "half and half plan" or the parallel plan involves part-time work and parttime study. Then, there's the summer plan which is similar to an internship because you work during the summer and are given the option to return a second work period.

One of the most distinguishing features between a coop program and an internship is the pay. Co-op employers are encouraged to pay students a fair wage for the work they perform. You can expect to earn between $15,000 to $25,000 a year depending on the field of study and the amount of hours worked.

According to Nancy Evans, director of The University of Texas at Austin Engineering Career Assistance Program, "Many students use the income from their co-op assignments to offset the cost of their college tuition. Employers like to use students who are "in the pipeline" toward becoming a full-time hire."

"There is no question that graduates will have many more employment opportunities if they have coop or internship experience," she said. "Companies want students who are able to hit the ground running, and they are willing to pay attractive wages to those who bring a certain level of expertise."

Internships and co-op programs both are experience builders that allow you to see a more direct relationship between a college major and full-time employment. The number of opportunities to participate in applied learning programs has increased over the years and the surge is expected to continue well past the start of the new millennium.

"Right now, there is an explosion of opportunities in the technology and internet areas," Oldman said. "Students are chomping at the bit to work in these fields."