Miami University Co-op Intership & Placement
Miami University Hamilton 2007 Engineering Technology Co-op Students
Front row (seated)from left to right are Linda Vogt (program assistant), Dan Hellenbrand, Kerry Willet, Shelley Cassady (Co-op Director); Middle row left to right are Daniel Kay, Matthew Farley, Brian Hayes, and Benjamin Ryan; Top row left to right are Doug Cheek, Bill Willet, Andrew (Greg) Ellison, Brendan Kuhl and Jacob Mink.
The Engineering Technology Department provides cooperative education (co-op) and internship opportunities through the Co-op/Internship & Placement Offices on the Regional Campuses of Miami University. Co-ops and internships integrate classroom study with industry employment that relates directly to a student’s major. Engineering Technology students can choose to do up to six academic credit hours over three semesters by taking ENT 220 (Professional Practice).
The Co-op/Internship & Placement staff assist students in applying for co-op/internship opportunities such as ENT Lab Technician, CAD Designer/Operator, Project Engineer, Operations Technician, Quality Control Assistant and Process and Development Engineer, with local and regional employers such as OPW, Force Control, Valeo, AK Steel, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Advanced Drainage, P&G, GE, and many others. Once placed, the student and the work site supervisor develop goals and objectives for the position, and at mid-term, the student is visited at the work site by the Co-op/Internship Director. At the site, the Director, student, and the company co-op supervisor asses the student’s goals and objectives to see how the student is progressing in the work-based learning experience. Co-op students are evaluated on such skills as “Knowledge of the Job”, “Quality of Work”, “Attitude”, “Judgment, Reliability, Adaptability”, “Human Relations” and “Attendance, Punctuality, Personal Appearance”. The student is also required to keep a journal about the work activities as well as do a short paper on the experience which is evaluated and graded by the Co-op/Internship Director and the Academic Department Chair.
Before doing a co-op or an internship, students are encouraged to take ENT 221 (Professional Development) where they learn the necessary skills to make informed choices about their career field as well as gain the professional skills they need to be successful as co-ops/interns in the workplace. Students also learn to prepare competitive resumes, improve interviewing skills, and understand the job search process as it relates to career development and life-long learning. Some of the topics covered in the course are “Ethics in the Workplace”, “From Student to Professional”, and “Developing a Life-long Career Strategy”. ENT 220 and ENT 221 are a two-pronged career development approach to give engineering technology students the skills they need to be successful employees in the workforce after they graduate.
Currently, the local job market for engineering co-ops and graduates is very strong. Even though co-op is optional at Miami University, approximately 70% of the students who register for co-op are placed in a co-op or an internship position within a year. After they graduate, approximately 35% of the co-ops are offered a full-time or permanent position with the company, which parallels the national placement data.
