Co-op Program Grows Up

Ashly Spevacek, Co-op Coordinator, Professor Virgil Marple, and Teaching Specialist, Barbara Evan

The Engineering Co-op program has connected hundreds of students with companies for over fifty years. Not a placement service, The Co-op is a unique opportunity for students to get hands-on experience and make money, while getting their education. “It was the best job I ever had,” said Professor Virgil Marple, who has headed the program since 1984.

Marple worked for John Deere in Dubuque, Iowa. “At John Deere they put us into a training program that they normally sent their future managers to. So we started out in the foundry pouring iron, then went through the whole factory, spending a day or two on a machine, and maybe a week at one department. We would operate every machine they had in that department just to get familiar with it. The program was managed by central administration, so each quarter we would go to a different location at the plant. So we saw every department; we saw where all the parts came in from vendors which we inspected. We did layout inspections to make sure that the parts would read with the prints, which was a desk job – paper work. We also got into the layout inspection department, where we would take an engine block off of a line and put it on a flat bench and check every dimension to the print. We went through industrial relations where we would work with unions. If some union members had been violating one of the rules, not coming into work or whatever, we would try to get that straightened around. In the industrial engineering they sent us to a class to learn how to do the time standards where you have clipboards and watches and you see how long it takes every operation of the work. So we helped set standards. So when we got done we had been in every department, and we knew the whole company better than any engineer.”

That experience prompted Marple to ensure that future students could have the same kind of opportunities, though he is quick to point out that “every Co-op experience is different, no two experiences are the same.” The number of students has fluctuated over the years. In the past 80 to 100 students started each quarter. At present 30-50 students enter the program each semester. There are more companies needing students than students who apply. Now, with the addition of Electrical and Computer Engineering Co-ops, the numbers will go up. “Currently, about a hundred students are in the program and companies fight over our top students,” he said.

“The intent,” he added, “is that students should be able to concentrate on work while they are working, and concentrate on their studies while at school. And, they should be able to make enough money to take them through the semester, at least enough to pay for the co-op classes.” The salary range is $14-$22 per hour to start, the average being $15.80. “The real advantage is that they graduate with one year of experience”, says Marple. “There are companies that only hire people with some experience, which was the case for me in the aerospace company I worked for. It is also good for networking; you meet people who can lead you to other jobs, though you may end up working for the same company when you graduate.

Leroy “Mike” Fingerson (Ph.D.1961) was a co-op student while an undergradute. “When I was in school, part time jobs in my field were just not available to students. You’d wash dishes or did whatever was available.” As a graduate student he helped administer the program with Professor Axel Ahlgren who started the program about 1950. “Professor Ahlgren was a person dedicated to doing the right thing. It didn’t help his career, and it was hard to keep it going.” Fingerson went on to found the company, TSI, Incorportated which hired co-op students. See Alumni Spotlight. His advocacy for the program was such that he became involved in the move to charge companies a fee to offset some of the University’s costs to run the program: “It is a plus for the companies, and since it costs the University it seemed reasonable. It was definitely a plus for us [TSI], being close to the University, and having the reputation for creating a good program; we got top students. It’s hard for smaller companies to get top students. And we kept a good number of them after graduation. So it was a very important part of TSI’s success,” he said.

Brad Schulz (BME 1994) participated in the program and was paired with his first choice, MTS Systems Corporation, and was hired at MTS after his graduation. "After having had such a rewarding Co-op experience, I am motivated to give back," he said. He has since mentored eight co-op students. "I have found that the Co-op program makes good business sense. It is universal for companies to look to student employees to create a pipline of new full time candidates while at the same time getting lower level tasks completed. HOever, student employees usually require a good deal of hand-holding and ramp up time to get productive, making them more of a burden than a help in all but the simplest of tasks. As a result, companies often consider student internship programs as corporate charity or a source for a menial labor force. These appraches often result in a negative experience for the company, the student and the company mentor."

Students meet industry representatives at a recent Job Fair on campus.

"I think the Co-op model, as opposed to the summer internship model, provides the opportunity to break that mold," he added. "The longer duration of two and especially three semester Co-op terms allow me to invest in training a student with a realistic plan to reap the rewards in later semesters. I like to rotate two students, such that one student is on a work rotation while the other is in school. The result is a full time equivalent. It is a service oriented model in which individual engineers get the value of a helping hand, while the students get value from learning on interesting projects. Because real work gets done and the involved parties get value, well designed Co-op programs are self perpetuating."

Brad Schulz from MTS talks with a student at the job fair.

The second and equally important goal is to improve students’ writing. Barbara Evan has been a Teaching Specialist with the Co-op Program for over ten years. “It’s a challenge because there are so many different levels of writing and different levels of interest in good writing. So my job is to develop the coursework from that point of view. I started out as a secretary in the program. I had a BA in English, and I had taught English for a while, so I thought I could give it a try. I like engineering, I married an engineer, and I was raised on a farm, so I have a natural aptitude toward it. Lots of English majors might not be very interested in it, but I like both subjects. It’s turned out that I am a very good fit for it. I like the students, I like the teaching, and I get to use my skills. Marple is a wonderful delagator, and really lets me do my job,” said Evan. The companies are enthusiastic about the writing component, “my latest effort is to get the students to take emails more seriously – and that comes straight from the employers. We are adding a component called professionalism which will address email and other business issues.”

Evan developed a Journal Article Assignment in which the students must find a technical journal, select and read an article, then summarize and evalute it. It teaches them more than better writing skills; some have never looked at a technical journal before. “At first it is hard for them, they can’t find a journal they want to read, they’re scared because the journals seem so advanced, they can’t understand the articles. But by the second or third time they really like it,” she said. Trying to make [the program] work better, and communicating with the students, that’s what I enjoy.”

Today the Co-op has a roster of over 35 companies, from large corporations to small start-ups, in all their myriad fields; medical, instrumentation, architectural, hvac, hydraulic, and manufacturing. The Toro Corporation has participated in the Co-op Program consistently over the last fifteen to twenty years. The program enables them to bring new talent into the company, some of whom become permanent employees. The Co-op Program has been mutually beneficial to Toro and the students. "Many of the students have been able to make significant contributions to our engineering efforts during the time they spend here and all of them have come away with valuable technical work experience and a good understanding of what to expect in a permanent engineering position," said Steve Wood, of Toro. They cite several advantages in hiring students, including; providing students with an understanding of the engineering role within a manufacturing company; providing students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge in hands-on, practical experience; helping students select a direction within the broad engineering field; students pick up a portion of the workload, allowing more senior engineers to focus on other areas of development; students can help spread knowledge of their company and their program to others; and students bring in fresh technical knowledge and a new outlook.

"The Co-op sessions also serve as no risk, long term job interviews," said Schulz. "At the end of three semesters, we know with great certainty whether the student will be a good fit as a full time employee at MTS. If MTS chooses to hire the individual, it lowers our risks significantly by hiring a known quantity."

Steven Chamberlain, a first year student in the co-op program, started working at Toro in January 2008. “I have been able to gain experience in the field of mechanical engineering, such as using different equipment and software programs in the test department, having interactions with vendors, and in-depth CAD experience in the design department. The opportunity to work and make some money is also a huge drawing feaure of the program. Everything has been well organized and very straightforward.”

For more information about the Co-op Program, please contact Professor Vigil Marple, marpl001@umn.edu or 612-625-3441.