Kettering University

The Kettering professional Cooperative Education program is designed to achieve the educational and professional goals of our students, and to meet the current and future human resource needs of our co-op employers. It is intended to foster mutually beneficial relationships between students, the University and co-op employers.

Kettering University co-op employers should commit to supporting the long-term professional development of their students, to paying competitive wages, to providing meaningful work assignments and to developing a co-op work plan. The following characteristics are common to all successful co-op programs:

• Challenging Work
  The employer should be able to provide meaningful and relevant work assignments for co-op students. Not only does this challenge the student and reinforce academic progress, but it ensures the fastest return on investment for the employer.

• A Strategic Work Plan
  The employer should develop a strategic co-op work plan that is broad enough to allow for appropriate modifications as students grow and the needs of the organization change over time. Your Kettering corporate relations manager can help you develop a strong work plan. Kettering also hosts employer-oriented Partner's in Learning Seminars on campus each year. These conferences are designed to assist employers in the administration of the co-op program and provide the tools to develop quality co-op work experiences for students.

• A Competitive Wage
  Employers should plan to pay co-op students a competitive wage commensurate with the work being performed and their increasing value to the organization. Kettering University publishes a Co-op Wage and Benefits Survey each year to assist employers in setting rates.

• Performance Evaluations
  Employers must complete a student performance evaluation at the conclusion of each work term. This is a good opportunity to review the student's progress, suggest elective courses and discuss any concerns of the student or employer. Evaluation forms are provided by the University. Completed evaluations are returned to Kettering for the student's permanent file and provide evidence that required work terms have been completed toward graduation requirements. These forms are available in Co-op Navigator.