Generally, the first worry for Co-op students is housing. Any assistance an employer can provide to calm student fears is greatly appreciated. Subscribing a student to the local newspaper for a few weeks, sending the students appropriate web sites for apartment rental, providing a list of employees willing to rent rooms in their homes to Co-op students, and providing a list of local areas that are safe, affordable, etc. is extremely helpful to the student’s understanding of securing housing.

A mentor (usually not the student’s supervisor) can be assigned to help the student with non-work related items—like helping the student find a place to live or introducing students to extracurricular activities in the new environment. Students are often lonesome for family and friends at first and having an occasional lunch or meeting with a mentor aids in the transition from school to work. A mentor may also be instrumental in helping students learn their way around a new town or city.

It is important to keep in mind that most Co-op students have never worked in a professional engineering environment. For this reason, a student needs to be informed of what is expected when working within your organization. An orientation to the organization and introductions to employees the student will be working with, will help with the transition to the new environment. Some of the information a student needs to receive upon arriving at the work location includes: what time work begins and ends; policy on flex time and how it works, parking, the chain of reporting in case of illness; etc., the dress code, how to use the telephone, computer, etc. It is also helpful for students to be aware if there will be an orientation to the work place and if safety training will be offered. Students need to know that, even though they are not permanent employees, they are subject to all the rules and regulations of permanent employees and can be dismissed for breach of company policies.

Time should be set aside for students to complete any paperwork necessary to put them on the payroll and provide them with any benefits they will receive. It is important for students to clearly understand all aspects of your program. For instance, they may be hired at an hourly rate with no benefits but will (or will not) be paid for holidays when the organization is closed.

After the student and supervisor have their initial meeting, the supervisor should visit the Engineering Professional Practice web site and review our Calendar to identify important dates. Within the first week the student is responsible for completing the Address and Expectations Form and the student’s supervisor needs to complete the Expectations Form and submit the forms electronically to the Co-op Engineering Office.

Generally, student assignments that are carefully developed yield great success. After the successful completion of simple tasks, subsequent tasks should be more responsible and challenging. In many cases, Co-op assignments afford students a head start on schoolwork while they are working. For instance, a student could work in the area of Heat Transfer two semesters before taking Heat Transfer at UT. This adds relevance to the student’s education, helps the student improve his/her grade point average, and can change the dynamics of the classroom.

At the end of each work term, students and supervisors are required to complete final reports. Submit these reports electronically to the Engineering Professional practice program so that we can evaluate the appropriateness and quality of the work assignment. Often your evaluation will influence scholarships awarded to students, honors selection, and accreditation reviews of UT’s academic programs.

It is extremely important to review your comments with the student so the student will have an understanding of what assignments were completed well and what areas are in need of improvement. If you wish, an advisor will call you to discuss the student’s on-the-job behavior with you. The information that you submit will become part of the student’s permanent record at UT. Your organization’s evaluation form can be substituted for the Engineering Professional Practice form provided it uses similar criteria.