Cooperative Education

Cooperative education (Co-op) is an advanced method of career development that provides the opportunity for both technical application and professional skill development. Cooperative education provides students with an opportunity to observe “high skill, high wage, or high demand”, career areas first-hand and to graduate as individuals who have adjusted to the world of work.

  • Co-op requires a scheduled class period during the day to specifically teach professional skills. In some schools, CTSO participation may be required.
  • Cooperative Education teachers must be certified with a Cooperative Education, K-12 Endorsement along with an appropriate CTE Certificate.
  • Cooperative education nurtures a relationship between the business community and the school district.
    • This relationship, established through the efforts of the Co-op teacher, can result in businesses’ support of the program and the district.
    • Involves working with current advisory committees and may include donation of equipment and partnership opportunities.
  • The fundamental purposes of cooperative education are to provide opportunities for students to learn under real-life work conditions.
    • Allows students to develop a hands-on knowledge of occupational standards, professional workplace skills and attitudes, technical skills that are needed to be successful in that field.
    • The student and teacher/coordinator work collaboratively to select the place of employment that will provide and coordinate occupational experiences.

  • The student must be a concentrator of an Approved CTE Program on the most current Arizona CTE Program List or an Approved Proposed Local Occupational Program.
  • If the Cooperative Education program is for credit, the course must be listed in the school catalog and on the CTE Program Course Sequence.
  • The school arranges with the employer for on-the-job training utilizing the WBL training agreement and training plan.
  • The school coordinates the training during the on-the-job phases of instruction.
  • Credit is granted for the cooperative education as approved by the local school district.
  • The parent or guardian agrees to accept responsibility for the student’s safety and conduct while traveling to and from school, place of employment, and home.
  • Each worksite/student must be visited periodically to check the student’s progress, attendance, appropriate work assignments, and safety.
  • The WBL teacher/coordinator will visit the employer’s site prior to sending students to ensure that the proper safety and training conditions exist.
  • A training agreement and training plan must be on file for each student.
  • An employer evaluation report must be on file for each student.
  • A student co-op experience evaluation must be on file for each student to describe their experience in the co-op.

 

Resources and Sample Forms