School program enables students to get real life experience in the work place

It can often be a daunting task to find ways to work on improving a resume during senior year as college application deadlines loom closer.

Through her involvement in the Cooperative Office Education (COE) program, directed by business teacher Audrey Kirtland, senior Caitlin Randle has found an ideal way to gain work experience and improve her GPA while making money.

“I signed up for COE because I need money for college and I wanted to get an extra A on my GPA,” Randle said. “I had asked Mrs. Kirtland for help in finding a job, and she was really good about helping me.”

Through the business department, students have the opportunity to get credit for jobs that require them to use office skill sets developed in business classes such as Design Multimedia, Finance and Accounting.

“I encourage students to take this cooperative office education program as a way to take what they’re learning in the classroom and put it to work in an office setting,” Kirtland said.

Randle took Web Development during her junior year and is currently enrolled in Design Multimedia. These classes drove her to pursue work in a related field.

“I wanted something to do with web design because that was the class that I had taken last year,” Randle said.

According to Kirtland, the benefits of COE go beyond the incentive of making money while receiving high school credit. Students can also use the program in order to significantly improve their GPA.

“If their grade point average was a 3.3 and they got one credit for co-op, because it should be an easy A, they would have a 3.4,” Kirtland said. “If they had two credits it would be a 3.5.”

COE is also an ideal way to demonstrate time management skills to colleges and future employers.

“You could have a job right now but not have it for school credit, and therefore nobody knows you have the job, not colleges, not future employers,” Kirtland said. “But once you have it on your transcript, number one it should help your GPA, but it shows colleges that you can handle work and school at the same time.”

Because the COE program only has 30 student openings per year, the program is fairly competitive and a survey is used to determine students’ skills. Positions are offered to those who have the most comprehensive and marketable skills.

To participate in COE, students must have taken two business classes and sign up for the class in the spring during course selection. By Oct. 15, they must have found a permanent job and students are required to work during the entire school year. One credit is equivalent to 396 hours of work, and students who work during the summer can count their hours towards this quota.

Though the jobs students hold are determined by the skill sets they bring, Kirtland’s connections in the job market have allowed for past student employment by organizations such as the U.S. Geological Survey, Lockheed Martin and various public accounting firms, making salaries of up to $12.40 an hour.

“I’m excited about getting money, that’s always good, and I am excited about getting the A, but I think more than that it’s about getting the job experience,” Randle said. “College is great for that, but if you don’t have job experience before you go into college, it’s even harder to find a job after that, so I’m just happy to get it started already.”

COE Facts

• All jobs are due by Oct. 15
• One credit is 396 hours
• Two credits are 720 hours
• Summer jobs count toward hours
• Open for 30 students only