To ensure our graduates hit the deck running in their chosen careers the AUT Business School developed a highly successful workplace experience programme called Co-operative Education. Co-operative Education is a key point of difference for our degree and has strong support with employers and industry.
Co-operative Education is a 9-week placement that provides students with a transition between their studies and the business world, and gives companies access to talented and motivated final-year students.
Co-operative Education students have the potential to contribute a great deal to your organisation. They will carry out their specific tasks assigned to them. As well, they will bring with them some of the latest thinking from their field of study and their fresh ideas, youthful energy and enthusiasm that can add a new and different dimension to your organisation.
Students apply their classroom learning to real situations and problems, and develop aspects of their professional practice. Co-operative Education students do a wide variety of work placements so they can experience the complexity of the real world of business first hand.
It is essential that they have hands-on practical experience with processes or tasks related to their field of study.
Some companies that have hosted our students include:
The minimum requirement is for a student to work full-time in the workplace over a 9-week period (360 hours). Students can also choose to do a gig option for their placement, which allows for placements in two organisations for 15 to 20 hours each during the 9 weeks of the placement period.
However, many students have a longer placement, for example a 3-month placement that starts before and ends after the 9-week compulsory period. Other students incorporate their Co-operative Education into their full-time, permanent employment.
Self-placement is one of the principles underlying Co-operative Education – students are responsible for finding their own placements. They are expected to create a CV, hunt out opportunities, apply for placements and participate in your standard recruitment processes to secure their placement. AUT has an online recruitment tool for students where you can post advertisements for Co-operative Education vacancies.
If you have an opportunity for a Co-operative Education student contact:
Kate Coleman, Co-operative Education Manager
AUT Business School
09 921 9323
kate.coleman@aut.ac.nz