Quality

Stern, Finkelstein, Stone, Latting, and Dornsife (1995) describe the elements that make up a high-quality co-op program:

"A written training agreement between the school and each employer sets forth the expectations for each party. The employer will provide a job with opportunities to learn. The school will monitor students' performance.

A written training plan for each student is at the heart of the co-op program. It specifies what the student is expected to learn on the job. Learning objectives may be linked to vocational or academic courses. The plan also specifies who will judge whether the student has achieved the stated objectives. It is usually signed by the student, the job supervisor, the co-op coordinator, and sometimes by a parent.

The co-op coordinator may be the teacher in a related class (for example, business or marketing) with responsibility for supervising students only in that field. Alternatively, in a diversified co-op program the coordinator supervises students from several fields. The coordinator also may have special training and certification as a co-op specialist. The coordinator's responsibilities include:

• Finding suitable job placements. Some programs provide summer salary for coordinators to come back early for this purpose. In well established programs, employers initiate placements by calling the school and requesting a co-op student. It is considered desirable for the coordinator to visit the worksite before placing a student there, to make sure the employer understands the responsibility entailed in hiring a co-op student. The training agreement embodies this understanding.

• Identifying suitable students for each placement. It is considered advisable to refer more than one student for the employer to interview. This gives students practice in job interviews, and gives the employer some choice.

• Negotiating training plans for all students.

• Monitoring students on the job. Coordinators must have released time during the day for this purpose. By visiting the job site, the coordinator can ensure that both the student and the job supervisor are satisfied with the way things are going. If there are problems, the coordinator can try to mediate or, if that fails, can remove the student from the job. At the end of the student's placement, the coordinator is responsible, usually in collaboration with the job supervisor, for evaluating students' performance according to their training plans.

• Offering related instruction. If the co-op program is offered in conjunction with a regular class, the coordinator would normally be the teacher in that class, which would naturally deal with issues from students' jobs. In a diversified program there may be a special class for co-op students, which would deal with more generic issues about work." (p. 23-24)

References