Employer Info

• Provide a paid, professional work experience that allows the student to be part of a team
• Commit to providing multiple or elongated work sessions, typically totaling a year
  • Work sessions include fall and/or spring semesters (they cannot be all summer)
  • Work sessions totaling less than a year are possible; please work with the Co-op Coordinator
• Arrange challenging work for the student
• Ensure that assigned work is major-related
• Increase technical involvement and level of responsibility as the student progresses
• If possible, incorporate a large spectrum of the company's activities (and if possible, locations)

• More in-depth and mutually beneficial experience due to multiple and longer work sessions (15-week instead of usual 10-week summer internship)
• Access to and retention of top talent
• Low-risk opportunity to try out new employees
• Opportunity to develop new positions and leaders from within
• Pipeline to grow a diverse workforce

“Typically, former co-op students, when hired full time by a previous co-op employer, receive more rapid promotions and have a higher retention rate than non-co-op hires." 
—Cooperative Education as a Source of Labor Supply to Firms in the College Labor Market: Analysis of Data from Four Case Study Firms

• A strong foundation in general science, engineering principles, and critical thinking
• Practical  chemistry and organic chemistry lab experience
• Engineering computing (Excel, MatLAB, MathCAD, Hysys)
• Analytical problem solving (calculus, physics, material & energy balances, error analysis & propagation)
• Communication and collaboration skills
• Introductory courses in bioengineering, biology and genetics
• Often organic 2, physical chemistry, fluid dynamics and linear algebra & differential equations

• First, let the ChBE Co-op Coordinator know you are interested in participating
• The co-op coordinator provides the company contact a set of resumes by the end of September
  • Note that we can accomodate an alternate hiring timeframe (including earlier than Sept); please email the co-op coordinator to work out the details
• Employers directly interview and hire students of their choice
  • The Co-op Coordinator can help facilitate interviews
  • There is no designated timeline for contacting/interviewing students
• The employer and student decide on the work schedule that works for both (i.e. one continuous year, alternate work/school, start in Jan or May, etc.)
• The employer pays the co-op just as they would an intern
  • Pay rate is typically between $17-$25/hr
  • Pay rate usually increases each work session
• The company pays NO fees to the department

"Having a co-op at Chevron enables the student to experience several different areas of the company while providing broad visibility for the student among the hiring managers.  The student can start to determine what type of work interests him/her which is invaluable when job offers are in front of them. The company can also judge the student's performance and determine where his/her skills fit the best. It is a win-win situation for all involved." 
- Thad Sauvain, Process Engineering Manager (Chevron)

“CU’s co-op program enables Bend Research to access talented young engineers in a way that facilitates longer term relationships often leading to full time employment. The mutually beneficial experience injects a progressive mind set and work ethic to the programs at Bend Research and the students receive career mentoring and real world experience. As such it is one of our most valued university connections and most efficient means of identifying successful long time employees.” 
- Dana Settell, Vice President, Alliances (Bend Research)

The CU Co-op Program provides us with young aspiring engineers whose skills and efforts make daily contributions to the success of our organization. Many of our breakthrough developments would not have been possible without the contributions of our CU co-op students."
 - Rick Dauer, Group Leader, Process Engineering and Automation (Roche Colorado)