Cooperative Education Innovative Approaches For Partnerships Between Universities And Industries And High Schools

Over the last few years, continuous learning has become an essential element of job success, and workplace learning linked to career development has become part of the educational system of the future. Today, many industries are increasingly depending on cooperative education (co-op) and internship programs with universities, colleges and sometimes with high schools. However, they do not perceive how to start one or what is expected from them. In some cases, high schools aren’t aware of how to establish good relations and better communication with the industry. Some department chairs or administrators don’t recognize the role of co-op in the academy, or else they decide to overlook it. Therefore, co-op with a clear expectation and assessment should be part of student educational experience. Educators, students and industries will all gain substantial benefits from their involvement in this process. The objective of this paper is to make the university and high schools’ educators aware of the opportunities they could offer their students in industrial area. Students have the chance to experience the real world of industry with hands on experience simultaneously with the education they receive at school.