Engineering Work Experience

A Job and Experience “How do you get experience without a job, and how do you get a job without experience?” -National Commission for Cooperation Education Experiential learning Career-related experience Important supplement to students’ education Most students used to work to afford school Now students work to keep up with steadily costs

Employment Change Trends 1980’s: Major recession hitting large manufacturing sectors Automobile industry in Midwest Blue collar jobs 1983 - 1986: U.S. economy revived Engineers hired with salaries way above inflation 1988 - 1994: Major restructuring within corporate America White collar workforce affected

Employment Change Trends 1994 to March 2000: Strong job market Increases in productivity, mergers, low birth rate 2000 to present: Bear market and recession Further collapse with 9.11.01 attacks Wars with Afghanistan and Iraq

Good to all this Bad Need for college graduates is constant Many employers expect graduates to have significant work experience Require less training and can produce results more quickly

Summer Jobs and Other Work Experience Engineering employers prefer career-related experience Whatever experience can be helpful Build a foundation along with classroom and career-related activities Strengthen communication skills, learn to work in teams, and develop problem-solving capabilities Seek out employment during year and summer for experience

Volunteer or Community Service Experiences Can be short- or long-term arrangements Nonprofit organizations Interest in individuals with strong math, science, and computer skills Unpaid positions that help students gain significant experience and develop important skills

Internships Can be paid or unpaid work experience arranged for a set period Usually occurs during summer to avoid disruption of school class schedule One-time arrangement with no obligations for future employment Many employers use internships to screen for future candidates Sometimes involves menial tasks

Cooperative Education Promoted and preferred form of experiential learning by schools “Engineering cooperative education (co-op) programs integrate theory and practice by combining academic study with work experience related to the student’s academic program.” -Cooperative Education Division of the American Society of Engineering Education Assignments relate directly to major Become stronger students and more valuable employees

Advantages of Cooperative Education Programs Advantages for Students Co-ops may lead to full-time position Higher seniority, benefits, increased pay, etc. Use classroom skills and apply them to real world problems Helps solidify career decisions Exposure to many fields Modification to reflect interest in career

Advantages to Employers Cost of recruiting co-op students is less than recruiting new employees Almost 50% co-op students accept permanent positions Total wages average 40% less for co-op students Co-op programs provide opportunity to evaluate employees prior to offering full-time Co-op students easily adapt to environments

Advantages to Employers Regular staff can focus on more complex and profitable assignments Co-op graduates can be promoted sooner and farther than other graduates Co-op programs build positive relationships between business and school

Advantages for Schools Provides extension of class experience Integrates theory and practice Keeps instructors informed of current business and industry trends Provide relationships and access to knowledgeable people in industry Enhance institutions reputation Additional business and industry training facilities that would have been unaffordable

More Benefits of Co-op Written and oral communication skills Networking Self-discipline Interactions with a variety of people and groups Supervisory and management experience

Note of Caution May not be consistent with overall goals and objectives of student Biggest drawback is intermingling of work and study Overextending leads to stress and poor academic performance Class scheduling problems