Cooperative Work Experience Education for Employers

General Information about Cooperative Work Experience Education

Cooperative Work Experience Education, also know as "co-op, " "work experience," or an "internship," is a program in which students may earn academic credit for what they learn in the workplace. It is a partnership between students, their employers, and our faculty that recognizes the valuable skills and abilities that employers teach our students in their jobs.

Cooperative Work Experience Education credit is available for all of our career and technical programs, and is a requirement in many. Co-op placements may be paid or unpaid. (See special note below for employers interested in unpaid Co-op). Employer participation in this program is highly valued and greatly appreciated by both the student and the college. This is a priceless opportunity for employers to "grow their own," qualified applicants in order to meet future business demands.

Employer's Role

The employer's role in Work Experience is to help the student identify new skills and/or areas of competency (known as learning objectives) in which the employer will be willing to provided training over the course of the semester. These skills or competencies should enhance the student's value to the employer and compliment the students classroom learning.

The learning objectives are formalized when the student lists them on an objective form and the employer, the student, and the advisor sign the bottom of the form. By signing the objective form the employer is agreeing to:

1) Provide training and supervision that will allow students to acquire knowledge in the areas specified on the objective form.

2) Verify the hours that the student has worked by signing off on his/her timesheet (provided by the Cooperative Education Office).

3) Meet with the students advisor for an evaluation near the end of the semester.

Student's Role

The student is responsible for obtaining the Cooperative Work Experience Education packet (from our office our our website), reading the instructions, and filling in all of the forms with the appropriate information. They are also required to maintain accurate records of the hours they work over the course of the semester on a timesheet (provided by our office). The timesheet will be submitted to the employer for a signature at the end of the semester and then returned to the student so he/she may submit it directly to the Butte College Job Placement Office.

Students who are working in a field that relates to their major will need to fill out the Career Work Experience Registration Packet. For those individuals not working in a field related to their major the General Work Experience Registration Packet would need to be completed.

Special Instructions for Employers Interested In Unpaid Internships

Employers interested in unpaid Cooperative Work Experience Education must have a contract on file with the Cooperative Education Office that allows Butte College to cover the student's worker's compensation insurance. To set up a contract simply contact the Cooperative Education Office by phone at 895-2335 or by e-mail at jobplacement@butte.cc.ca.us. In addition to this students interested in unpaid Cooperative Work Experience Education will be required to complete the registration packet as discussed in the preceding section.

Click here to view the Unpaid Cooperative Work Experience Education Agreement.

 

 

Butte College
Job Placement & Cooperative Education Office
3536 Butte Campus Drive
Oroville, CA 95965
(530) 895-2334 Phone
(530) 895-2530 Fax
jobplacement@butte.edu