Co-ops are a valuable way for engineering students to gain industry experience and for employers to connect with strong Lehigh talent.
The definition of “co-op” varies by organization, but in general, co-ops involve multiple work rotations at the same company whereas internships are typically one work rotation, most often but not always in the summer.
At Lehigh, co-op opportunities are available to engineering students through the Handshake portal. Interested students can login to their Handshake account, go to the “jobs” tab, select “all filters” then “+more”, and apply the co-op filter.
Employers looking to hire Lehigh students for co-ops should post to the Handshake platform and select the “co-op” job type.
Please note that like internships, co-ops are student-driven, meaning that there is not a structured co-op program and it is up to the individual student to determine a plan for completing a co-op. Engineering students can work with the Center for Career & Professional Development for guidance on landing co-op opportunities and with the Associate Dean’s office to explore academic schedule options.
WHY CO-OP: STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
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Clarify career interests
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Build network of industry contacts
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Bridge the gap between classroom and industry
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Gain confidence
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Earn money while learning
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Acquire in-depth professional experience
"Throughout a co-op, participants develop an invaluable trait - confidence in their respective fields. With this, we are able to go beyond what it means to be a student and actively participate in solving industrial problems."
Nate Rex '19, Bentley Systems co-op
"The co-op experience was a rewarding one. I have the opportunity to explore the various engineering roles my company had to offer and meaningfully contribute towards the company's overall mission statement."
Shrivats Agarwal '20, B. Braun co-op
WHY CO-OP: EMPLOYER PERSPECTIVE
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Bring new knowledge and fresh perspectives to your company
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Observe and develop prospective employees
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Support the next generation of engineers
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Strengthen your brand at Lehigh
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Build your talent pipeline
"We provide Lehigh's brightest technical students with opportunities to navigate the complexities of a large, matrixed organization; coach and enable them to be self-starters; and challenge them to generate positive technical and leadership outcomes on projects that provide value to the company."
Wabtec Corporation
A SNAPSHOT OF PAST CO-OP EMPLOYERS:
For more information, please contact Katharine Marianacci at krm617@lehigh.edu or (610) 758-3710.