In addition to helping you prepare for more sophisticated academic work, co-op will provide you with:

• Opportunities to explore career options in a real-world context,
• A knowledge of the world of work that will give you a new perspective on academic work and
  the need to develop interpersonal skills,
• A salary to help meet college expenses,
• A better understanding of the engineering profession through early association with practicing engineers, and
• An edge in the job market.

Click here to view the Co-op Handbook for Students, Faculty Advisors, and Employers

In order to be eligible to participate in the co-op program, you must maintain a GPA of at least 2.0. If your GPA drops below this you may be dismissed from the program. Some companies that hire co-op students may require that you have a GPA higher than 2.0, so you should be aware of a particular company's minimum GPA requirement.

Prior to your first co-op assignment, you must also satisfactorily complete a minimum of 64 credit hours towards your Bachelor of Science in Mechanical, Electrical, or Computer Engineering, which is the equivalent of two full years of study. You must also have taken EGR 290, Engineering Career Seminar, a course designed to enhance the engineering career and improve employment skills.

In order to receive credit for your co-op term you must meet the credit- hour prerequisite, obtain an appropriate co-op position, and insure that all of the co-op evaluation forms are completed and returned to your advisor.

Career Services is available to assist you in finding a co-op position. They will assist with resume writing, interviewing skills, and scheduling interviews. However, it is the student's responsibility to find a co-op position. In order for Career Services to assist you, you must register with Career Services by the required deadline for each of your co-op terms.

When setting up interviews there are several local companies that the college routinely works with to place co-op students. Many of these companies participate in the EIAC, which acts as an advisory board to the engineering program.

If desired, you may also find your own co-op position by contacting a potential employer and setting up an interview. If you choose to find your own co-op position, Career Services will not be able to help you with setting up interviews. Also, if you do decide to find your own co-op position, it must be an appropriate position (reference your co-op manual), and you must get prior approval for the position from your co-op advisor.

For detailed information on companies that currently have open co-op positions, contact Career Services.

Career Services can assist you with obtaining a co-op position. The Career Services Office will post the available positions and job descriptions for each co-op term. After you sign up for each job that you are interested in, Career Services will work with you to set up interviews. Some companies will come to the College to conduct interviews, while others will require you to go to their facility for the interview.

Career Services will also assist you with writing resumes, posting resumes on College Central, and job interviewing skills. For information on who to contact in Career Services, click here.

As a co-op engineer in the work place you will be responsible for:

At the completion of each co-op term you will also be responsible for ensuring that all of the co-op evaluation surveys are completed and returned to your co-op advisor. These surveys are completed via the web. You will receive an e-mail with the link to the student evaluation survey as well as an e-mail to be forwarded to your co-op supervisor for the employer evaluation survey. A co-op report and poster must be completed and submitted to your co-op advisor. The poster instructions can be obtained from your advisor or by clicking here.

Click here to see samples of student co-op posters.

You are required to meet several deadlines throughout the year to ensure that you meet your co-op obligations. These deadlines include: course registration, co-op registration, interviewing, accepting positions, and completing evaluations. Below is the suggested four- year schedule.

A breakdown of suggested timelines for each co-op term is as follows:

*If you are returning to the same employer that you had for your previous co-op assignment you must confirm that position during this time frame.

This is a table of co-op salaries for recent co-op terms. The actual amount varies from company to company.

YCP Engineering Co-op Program Hourly Earnings

Your resume writing and interviewing skills are very important in obtaining a co-op position. Since they are so important Career Services is prepared to help you with both of these skills. In order to participate in the interview process with Career Services, you will be required to read and sign the Co-op Interview Policies and Procedures form. This form is available in the YCP Career Services Office, or click here. You can contact Career Services for more information.

Remember that even though co-op is a requirement for you, no employer is required to hire a co-op student. Your resume is the first thing a potential employer will see, so it is important that it makes a good impression. If your resume is not appropriate you may not even get the opportunity to have an interview.

Your resume should be posted on College Central where potential employers will have the ability to review your resume. See Career Services for information on how to post your resume on College Central.

Another important aspect of the interviewing process is appearance. It is important that you go to the interview well groomed and neatly dressed.

During the interview your job is to convince the employer that you are the right person to hire. You must convince the potential employer that you are technically capable, that you have the right attitude, and that you are interested in what the company has to offer.

For additional information and tips click here.

Students must complete a total of 3 cooperative work experiences. Each co-op experience must last a minimum of 12 weeks. Additionally, the total of all three co-op experiences must be at least 48 weeks. Vacation time does not count toward the total number of weeks worked.

The exact duties and functions you will have in the workplace will vary with the employer, your abilities and skills, and the co-op term you are in. You will always be assigned to work with a practicing engineer, who will provide guidance and direction for your work assignments. Some examples of potential job functions are:

There are several ways in which you will receive feedback during your co-op work experience. Your co-op faculty advisor will visit your workplace where he/she will meet with both you and your assigned mentor to determine if there are any concerns that need to be addressed. At the end of your co-op term both you and your employer will fill out an evalution survey, which will be returned to your advisor. These surveys are completed via the web. You will receive an e-mail with the link to the student evaluation survey as well as an e-mail to be forwarded to your co-op supervisor for the employer evaluation survey. This information is confidential between the student, the advisor and the employer. Click here to preview the evaluation survey forms.

*You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view .pdf files. To download a free copy of the program, click on the icon below.

• Co-op Application Placement Form.pdf
• Student Application/ Faculty Advisor Authorization.pdf
• Co-op Interview Policies and Procedures.pdf
• Guidelines for Co-op Posters
• Student's Evaluation of Co-op Work Experience Survey
• Employer's Evaluation of Co-op Student Performance Survey

What are the keys to a successful co-op experience?

The successful co-op experience is a combination of the job assignments provided by the employer and what you are willing to put into the experience. The goal is for the employer to provide each student with signficantly challenging engineering work that truly complements the rigor of his/her academic program and for you to work on each assignment and complete it in the manner that your employer has described to you. Not all assignments will be fun and technically challenging. However, as you complete each one you will be able to show your employer that you have the ability to complete more technically challenging assignments.

Are engineering faculty members involved when I'm on co-op?

Yes. The successful co-op experience is based upon the three-way interaction involving you, your employer-based engineering mentor, and your co-op faculty advisor. During your co-op semesters, this interaction is nurtured and documented through regular meetings with your engineering mentor, on-site visits by your co-op faculty advisor, written assessments and evaluations by both mentor and advisor, and through your own co-op report and written evaluation of your co-op work experience.

Are there any geographic restrictions to Co-op employment?

No. You are free to choose any geographic location for co-op and are encouraged to seek co-op opportunities abroad with U.S.-based companies that carry out international engineering operations. Locally, an organization of more than 20 companies (the EIAC) advises and supports the development of the engineering program, and provides co-op employment opportunities for York College engineering students. Students who co-op locally have the option to use York College housing during their co-op periods, during which time standard room charges apply.

As a co-op student, am I required to maintain employment with the same company for all three Co-op semesters?

Not necessarily. However, in order to ensure that you are receiving maximum benefit from your co-op experience and that the key factors for success (described above) are met, it sometimes makes sense that you maintain employment with the same organization throughout your co-op experience. This, in turn, places more responsibility on the faculty advisor to know something about your career goals and abilities, and to help steer you toward a suitable and appropriate co-op experience. It should be noted, however, that this is not required, and in many instances it is an advantage for you to have co-op experiences with more than one company. Moreover, there is no guarantee that you will be asked to return to the same organization at which you previously worked. This is determined to a large degree on a case-by-case basis.

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