Benefits to Co-op Employers

Company growth begins with human resources. The Cooperative Education Office can be viewed by employers as "a consulting service" for their personnel needs. Besides reducing recruitment and training costs, Co-op gives employers the opportunity to evaluate potential employees without long-term commitment.

For short-to intermediate-range needs, such as special projects, research studies, or seasonal developments, the Cooperative Education Program provides motivated students who can help meet objectives.

In the long term, it has been nationally verified that a majority of Cooperative Education students are retained as committed employees by the companies where they had worked during college. Additionally, the turnover of employees who had previously been Co-op students remain significantly less than those who had not such "reality-testing" experiences.

In pursuit of their career goals, Cooperative Education students seek to make the most of their opportunities as employees. Co-op students can and do increase productivity for many business/agencies.

Registered Dietician Jill Hanscom, the assistant director of patient services at St. Peter's Hospital, reviews cooperative education student Robin Dahm's research project prior to her In-Service seminar presentation on renal disease.