This Page Includes:
* Co-op Procedures for EmployersCo-op Procedures for Employers
- Develop basic job descriptions, including majors, skills, student learning objectives, and pay range - Posting Template
- Designate a Co-op contact in your organization
- Keep the CDC informed of new student hires
- Forms required each term student employed:
- Co-op and Internship Information Sheet
- Employer Evaluation
For enrollment certification purposes, SIUE sponsored Co-op participation is considered equivalent to full time enrollment. Formal enrollment in an approved Co-op course through the CDC is required.
Types of Experiences
1. Cooperative Education (Co-op)Virtual Co-ops, Internships, and Micro-internships
The same standards required of traditional Co-ops and internships apply to virtual and micro-internships, except they are not required to be located on the employer's job site.
Considerations for virtual Co-ops, internships, and micro-internships:
- Direct supervision and major-related, meaningful projects and opportunities are the key classroom to career components required for quality experiences
- Daily correspondences with students through spaces such as Zoom or Skype are necessary
- Design structured projects and assignments with scheduled progress meetings providing students rich learning opportunities
- Afford students opportunities to participate in virtual meetings, workshops, and events
- Provide students necessary accommodations to work remotely
- Offer regular feedback to students in order to facilitate learnig and professional growth
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Common Criteria for Co-op, Internship, and Micro-internship
For a position to be eligible for the Co-op and Internship Program:
- The employer must be approved by the Career Development Center
- all approvals at the sole discretion of the department
- employers should have a company Web site and company based email (no gmail, yahoo, free accounts, etc.)
- employers should have traditional business setting (no personal residence or home-based businesses or locations)
- employers should be established
- The positions must be approved by the Career Development Center
- Start and end dates for each term and experience must correspond with the SIUE academic calendar (except micro-internships)
- Positions must be in the student's major field of study or career path
- Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 for undergraduate level, 3.0 for graduate level
- The position must be for at least 60 work-hours per academic term to qualify for transcript recognition
- Co-op and internship positions are for zero credit through the Career Development Center
- Students must be directly supervised
Additional Position Criteria for Co-op
* Position must be paid
* Employer must be willing to retain students at least two (2) academic terms
* International students and students in the School of Engineering may work one (1) term
Additional Position Criteria for Micro-Internship
Hiring International Students for Co-op
Co-op qualifies for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for International students, but these students must be at SIUE for at least nine (9) months before beginning a co-op assignment.
- Part-time Co-op: Employment of 20 hours or less per week
- Full-time Co-op: Employment of more than 20 hours per week. If engaged in for one year or more, this time may be deducted from Optional Practical Training (OPT)
- Employment authorization is not needed when offering employment, but it is needed to begin work: Letters of eligibility can be obtained through the International Student Services
- Positions must be major related and further the student’s academic interests
- Position must qualify for transcript recognition
- Start and end dates for CPT must be in accordance with pre-established deadlines for each academic term
I've Hired an SIUE Student, What's Next?
- You can instruct the student to report the experience to the Career Development Center
- OR you can contact our office at 618-650-3708 or careerdevelopment@siue.edu to report the experience
- Please put RE: Reporting Student Co-op or Internship Experience in subject line in order to direct correspondence to the Co-op and Internship team
- OR you can contact our office at 618-650-3708 or careerdevelopment@siue.edu to report the experience
- Once the initial Co-op or internship (Experiential Learning) record has been submitted by the student or input by our office, you will receive an email with an embedded link to either accept, request additional information from the student, or deny the Co-op or internship experience
- You will not need to login to the system, as the link takes you directly to the approval page
- This process is quick and simple - usually only taking a few seconds
- Toward the end of the term you will receive a link for an Employer Evaluation for online completion
Illinois Cooperative Work Study Program Grant (ICWSP)
What is it: The Illinois Cooperative Works Study Program (ICWS), through the Illinois Board of Higher Education, awards grant funds to colleges and universities to support paid, major-related work experiences for students who are Illinois residents, working for employers located in Illinois. The ICWS grant funds are distributed to employers in connection with the Cooperative Education and Internship Program, which provides opportunities for students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real world work experiences. Employers must be licensed and domiciled in IL to participate in the grant program.
How do we receive funds: The grant reimbursement works as follows, if you hire an eligible student, your company would be reimbursed up to 50% of their wages, up to $2,500 (or the specified dollar amount for the period), for the student during the academic term. Grant funding is term based, and funds are distributed on a first come, first served basis. Your company may be able to receive funds for more than one student per term, depending upon availability of funds.
Those of you with multiple memberships/ownership interests are encouraged to submit letters of intent for each entity; however, in order to allow a variety of employers to participate in the program, we ask that you request reimbursement for only one of those entities per academic term. Should there be remaining funds toward the end of the grant period, you may have the opportunity to submit a request for wage reimbursement for additional entities for which letters of intent were previously submitted.
Once the company and student paperwork has been completed, you will then begin working with our Office Manager for reimbursement.
Students and employers are required to participate in the SIUE Cooperative Education Program through the Career Development Center to be eligible.
How does my company get involved: Contact Tammy Taylor tammtay@siue.edu for more information and to determine eligibility.
