Student teaching is required. Internships occur usually for one term, generally during the last term of the senior year. Generally, it is unpaid. If a department has a paid position that can be considered an internship, it can be turned into a co-op assignment with our office. The advantage here, of course, is that it is their major field of study.
Employers appreciate the program because they obtain workers with experience.
Both co-ops and internships are often used by employers to select candidates for permanent hire. When recruiters were asked how could they better communicate with universities, they responded that they would like more mandatory co-op or internship programs so that students are introduced to the professional workplace before graduation. SIUE has taken that step getting students out into the world of work. In response to Board Member VanMeter s question about how firms or employers are recruited, Dean Patterson said that assistant directors for employer relations recruit employers by encouraging them to post jobs with us, come to campus for interviews, or come to our job fairs. In response to Mr. VanMeter s question about longevity in the program, Dean Patterson noted that very few companies drop out of the program unless they have a major shake-up of the company.