It may be a surprise to some students, but many companies and organizations offer the ability to work for college credit.
To facilitate this opportunity for Salt Lake Community College students, SLCC provides a work-for-credit program known as CO-OP. The program is also available to an equally diverse variety of students.
CO-OP credit is offered for many career fields, including education, mathematics, finance and communication. Participants can qualify if their place of employment is related to their major, if they work at least 20 hours a week, and if their supervisor agrees to support and evaluate their progress.
SLCC student Justina Lopez was surprised to learn that such a resource exists.
“It makes it easier [to do both] because we’re already taking credit hours on top of work hours, so [combining] two in one is more effective,” she says.
One to six credit hours available for CO-OP students
In order to take advantage of this program, students need to register for a Cooperative Education CO-OP/Internship course. Once registered, students are required to attend a $10 orientation before beginning the program.
While the student is working for their credit, they should expect to have their progress monitored by a faculty supervisor from SLCC, as well as an employment supervisor. This is to ensure students remain on the right path and accomplish all that is required to earn the credit hours.
There are some fields of study which are not eligible for CO-OP credit. Students who work in health science fields, for example, would not be able to apply since training hours are already built into their program of study.
Visit Career and Student Employment Services for a list of eligible CO-OP courses and other information.
