How to Become a Co-op Employer

First, contact the co-op office by phone at 201.216.5368. We will speak with you about the program and send you additional program material. If a cooperative education partnership works for your company, we will ask you to provide us with a job description. To build a successful co-op partnership, we recommend starting the process early. We suggest that you plan your approach three to four months before you want the student to begin work and budget for co-op students as a part of your company's long-term staffing objectives. In order to help you plan effectively, a coordinator will guide you through every step in the placement process.

Recruiting Schedule

If you miss the "On Campus" recruiting day there are other ways to interview our students either at your site, by phone, or in our office.

Employer Expectations

Our students anticipate productive and mutually beneficial relationships with their employers. We ask that you provide challenging work where a student contributes to your business, becomes a member of your team, and learns how their studies can be applied to the job. Selecting and preparing a supervisor with sincere interest in a student's professional development will help assimilate them into your work environment.

You must provide a co-op student with a clear job description, and salary commensurate with responsibilities. We require you to complete a Learning Agreement with the student that defines the job and its mutual objectives. We also need your commitment that the student will be employed for the duration of the co-op term.

Providing orientation to an assignment, the work place and its culture will help create a smooth transition for your new employee. You should be prepared to give frequent performance feedback, including one Snapshot Evaluation after a student has been on the job for one month and a final evaluation two weeks before the end of the work term. We also ask that you be available for an on-site visit from a co-op staff member midterm through their assignment.

Graduate Co-op Opportunities

Co-op can meet your immediate and long-term human resource needs while providing you with the opportunity to contribute to the education and formation of the next generation of engineers and scientists.

Graduate co-op students are available for placement for the following time periods (according to their academic schedule):

• January – May
• January – August
• May – August
• May – December
• September - December

We can provide you with qualified, pre-screened candidates in the following fields of study:

• Computer Science
• Computer Engineering
• Engineering Management
• Financial Engineering
• Information Systems
• Mechanical Engineering
• Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Engineering
• Pharmaceutical Management
• Software Engineering
• Telecommunications/Project Management

For more information on becoming a graduate co-op employer, please contact the Co-op Office at 201.216.5368, and a member of the staff will provide you with further details on our program.

We look forward to working with you and welcoming you as a valued co-op employer!