Engineering students will be non-traditional interns

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An innovative co-op program, Valley Industrial Partnership for Cooperative Education, was introduced on campus when eight companies donated funds to provide School of Engineering and Computer Sciences students with a number of "nontraditional" internships.

As an industry-run and -supported cooperative education program, VIP places students in two six-month internships with the equivalent of an entry-level engineer's salary, said Dr. Karl Longley, dean of SEACS.

"These are structured internships where student placement is handled by the Industry Council," said Longley. "The cooperative learning experience in the VIP Program is different from the traditional internship because of the heavy involvement of both the school and the industry members."

Both the student and a mentor selected by the industry member must attend co-op-related seminars. The student seminars are designed to cover business basics such as work ethics, corporate culture, team building, communication and on-the-job behavior. The mentors are trained in mentoring skills, evaluation, assessment and job assignments.

"This allows the student to be prepared before arriving at work," said Longley. "It combines the traditional education with the practical skills necessary to succeed in the market place."

"This program is a win-win-win for all three of the players - the school, local industry and the student," said Longley.

On April 8, an informational meeting for interested students will be held in University Center, Rm. 200, from 3 to 5 p.m. Industry members will talk about the program and sign students up for the fall semester.

For information, call ext. 8-2500.