4 benefits of hiring a co-op student

The University of Cincinnati invented cooperative education more than 100 years ago and continues to innovate all aspects of experience-based learning, including internships, service learning, virtual co-ops, community projects and industry partnerships. Today, UC offers co-ops in nearly every corner of the globe, from co-ops at Fortune 500 companies to trailblazing experiences in places like China, Morocco and South America.

So, what are the benefits of hiring a co-op student? From expanding your talent pool to gaining access to new workers year-round, here are a multitude of ways that employers benefit from hiring co-op students.

• Develop a pipeline of talent.
• Provide a cost-effective solution to complete seasonal or special projects, cover gaps, or free up more-experienced personnel for higher-level tasks.
• Add fresh perspectives, new ideas, and diversity.
• Provide an opportunity for current employees to take a leadership role.

By hiring co-op students, you’re developing a pipeline of talent for years to come. Co-op students typically have three to five co-op “rotations” during their academic career. This provides employers the opportunity to make a connection with a student, and have them return for multiple semesters to build on their knowledge and impact at your company. Rather than onboarding a new intern every semester, you’re able to bring back someone who has experience and can hit the ground running. Although co-op employers are not required or expected to offer full-time jobs after graduation, often the student’s performance and the employer’s hiring needs align, and every year a number of students receive full-time job offers from co-op employers as they approach graduation.

Brianna Karelin, a construction management student, co-oped with Helix Electric in Oakland, California, where she developed a process that saved Helix a significant amount of money. The company quickly offered her a full-time job, which she accepted. Like Brianna, there are thousands of students who make up a built-in talent pool for employers in need of talented workers. When you hire co-op students, you’re not just getting a typical entry-level employee. You’re hiring someone who has already completed over a year of full-time employment in the field.

Co-op students are available for work throughout the year. The work is paid, full time (at least 35 hours per week) for 15 to 18 weeks at a time, related to the student’s major, supervised and evaluated. Students complete three to five co-op terms, depending on their program requirements, prior to graduation.

So whether you’re looking for workers in the summer or winter, co-op students can be a good option to fulfill your employment needs. UC also offers part-time co-ops and micro co-ops, giving nearly every student the chance to experience the value of cooperative education in some form.

In an ever-evolving world, employers must show they’re willing to innovate and try new things. Experiential learning shows that you’re constantly evolving as a company and learning from younger generations. When companies hire co-op students, they gain access to their creativity, innovation and enthusiasm.

During each co-op term, students complete an online course to help them focus on your academic and professional development. Co-op employers also evaluate their performance, and student must complete their co-op experiences to graduate. When you hire a co-op student, you know you’re working with someone who will be held accountable for their performance, do impressive work and will want to learn in the workplace.

Hiring co-op students gives your current employees the opportunity to lead and manage new talent. This provides current employees with an opportunity to take a leadership role in supervising and mentoring a student, and allows employers to see management potential in their current employees. It also gives current employees the time to focus on higher-level tasks as co-op students help with other job duties.