Build skills, gain connections with a Co-op education from Wichita State
Andrea Belsan has worked in two elementary schools with first- through sixth-grade students since her freshman year of high school, getting hands-on experience that will give her a “head start” when she graduates.
“It’s one of the hardest things I do—but it makes me sure it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life,” Belsan said.
She is one of more than 500 Wichita State students who participate in the Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning (Co-op) program annually, Kim Kufahl, marketing manager for Co-op, said.
Co-op helps students find paid internships in their desired career, while also receiving college credit, and with more than 400 employers to choose from, students are rarely disappointed.
The Co-op office is on the second floor of Grace Wilkie Hall. It’s the largest cooperative education program in Kansas with 935 students assigned internships for the 2010-2011 school year, according to Co-op’s annual report.
“I really wanted as much experience as I could get before I was a teacher, with (Co-op) I could observe teachers and see things I did or didn’t like,” Belsan said.
Belsan is a junior in elementary education and already has a job offer prospect after graduating.
“The principle of my school told me as soon as you’re done, I want you to let me know, and we’ll see if we have a position open for you,” Belsan said.
Based on Co-op’s 2010-2011 annual report, 42 percent of graduates were working for their Co-op employer and 88 percent of graduates were employed after graduation.
However, there are some success stories that numbers cannot explain. Olga Khakova, a graduate student in marketing, is working at Bombardier Learjet, a company she began working for a year before finishing her undergraduate degree.
Now Khakova is planning international seminars and recently traveled to Brazil and China. She also works for Bombardier Learjet’s International Ambassador program.
“I absolutely wouldn’t have been able to get my job without Co-op,” Khakova said. “I was able to apply and prove myself throughout the internship.”
Co-op changed Robert Varriano’s decision about his future and exposed him to other of his capabilities.
Varriano, a graduate student in aerospace engineering, is now an aircraft sales engineer at Hawker-Beechcraft.
“Co-op got me the job,” Varriano said. “It gave me the opportunity to have a job I never planned to have.” His job now is more business and marketing. He writes reports, gives presentations, visits air shows and works as a technical expert on products.
“They know a lot of people in the industry, and it helps having your school support you when you are trying to find a job,” he said.
Varriano plans to study for a master’s in business administration, with an emphasis in finance, a substantial change from his undergraduate curriculum.
“Doing an internship really motivates you in your classes because you actually see how classes go with your work,” Varriano said. “Then you think, oh, yeah, this really does apply.”
Many of the internships are paid positions.
The average wage per hour was $14.78 for engineering, $12.91 for business, $11.69 for education, $10.28 for fine arts and health professions, and $10.70 for liberal arts and sciences, based on the 2010-2011 Co-op annual report.
Co-op also helps prepare students to enter the working world.
“They helped out a lot with interviews and help you with résumés,” Varriano said.
Every student involved in the program is required to attend a professional practice workshop to receive information about the process, resume building, professional dress, interview information and workplace etiquette.
Advisers also play a role in helping students develop their goals they want to complete by the end of the internship.
Eric Wilson, an instructor in the Elliott School of Communication, started out as a Co-op student and is now on the other end as an adviser, watching other students succeed.
“I was an intern for Koch Industries and then public relations for the Elliott School,” Wilson said. “I became familiar with the Co-op office staff and saw students gain confidence through the experience.
“It’s exciting hearing what students learn,” he said. “They get to do some really cool stuff that not a lot of students get to do, and they teach students how to be professional.”
Wilson has had students work for The Wichita Eagle, City Arts, Exploration Place, on-campus admissions and athletics, all the Wichita television stations, and at marketing and advertising firms.
There are also large employers including the Wichita Public School System, NetApp, and Cessna, Kufahl said.
Wilson said a Co-op experience sets applicants apart from other job applicants, lets you build professional skills, and builds contacts. There are so many opportunities in Wichita and so many companies that are willing to work with students that students should apply.
If interested in applying for Co-op go to its website , www.wichita.edu/thisis/offices/coop/ , to read about the requirements for the program, register, attend a Professional Practice Workshop, and set up a meeting with an adviser.
Students must be enrolled in at least six credit hours to be eligible, and graduate students must be admitted and enrolled in graduate classes at Wichita State before applying.
“I am extremely grateful for Co-op,” Khakova said. “I think it’s priceless what they do for students and their careers.”
