engineering coops

[bigTomHanks]

Some companies seem to employ a lot of engineering coops. Do companies get some type of credit or tax deduction for having coops? What are other reasons why some companies have a lot of them?

 

[SomeYahoo]

I was a co-op in college. It is a win-win situation in my opinion. The company gets almost-engineering level skills for 1/4 of engineering salary, and the student gets valuable experience... and a chance to pay for college. I would recommend it to any employer or student.

I will be very interested to see what others have to say here...

 

[TheTick]

The best fresh-out new-hires I have seen were co-ops that were picked up after they graduated. Great recruiting tool.

 

[ARenko]

Many companies also see it as a relatively low cost recruitment program for future full time employees.

 

[GregLocock]

I agree with The Tick, it gives us a chance to figure out the quiet capable ones, not the show ponies.

We probably get some sort of tax break as well.



Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[FrancoisB]

Coop is very good, in my University we must do 3 time coop program and this help student to find the reality of the job and is't a opportunities to see if the engineering is for the student (school and reality is not the same) and for employers to find a good employes in the futur. Like GensetGuy said or write is't a win-win exchange.

 

[moltenmetal]

Definitely a win-win. Employers get good help for cheap, plus a good source of capable prequalified new grads. Students get relevant experience DURING their education, which for the good ones anyway makes their education more effective and useful. As far as I'm concerned, the only way to properly educate an engineer is via a co-op program. It's borne out in our experience with new grad hires here too.

Different government programs exist in different countries as far as tax benefit. I got a fair bit of my co-op experience funded via Canada's NSERC and Ontario's IRAP programs. There's also a summer student program available through HRDC, but unfortunately it's only currently a SUMMER student program and doesn't apply to other times of the year.

 

[SomptingGuy]

I was the UK equivalent of a co-op before (and during) my engineering degree. When I asked my then boss why they spent so much money sponsoring students, his reply was that it was the cheapest way to recruit good engineers (note that "cheap" in English means "cost-effective" in American - not plastic/naff/sub-standard). We got paid about 1/2 the salaries of the fresh graduates (and probably did more than half the work they did). Some of my university contemporaries complained that they were given crappy jobs to do by their companies when they were students, but my company threw us in at the deep end, making good use of the fresh young minds.

And for the student: You got to see if you like engineering before taking the plunge; you got better money than burgeer-flipping; you got a bursary (beer money) whilst at university. But most of all, come graduation you have relevant experience that many don't ... and for most, a guaranteed fall-back job.

As moltenmetal said, a win-win. Companies get the pick of cheap, fresh, intelligent young minds. Students get the experience they really need, plus an interesting job and term-time beer money.