Co-op Employer Information

• Having access to a pool of talented and highly motivated engineers-in-training who are available to work as full-time temporary employees.
• Experiencing lower training and recruitment costs - and a higher retention rate among former participants who become entry-level employees.
• Collaborating with Co-op Director(s) for job postings and student connections.
• Establishing relationships with students who serve as campus goodwill ambassadors for your company.
• Freeing up permanent employees’ time for long-term projects.

The co-op program at York College has been a wonderful recruiting tool for us. We get to train and evaluate students while they are exposed to real-world engineering, with no strings attached. In the end, it is a win-win situation which allows us to hire well-qualified, full-time engineers that can really hit the ground running.

Joe Druck, Chief Design Engineer, Weir American Hydro Corporation, York PA

We continue to be impressed with the students from York College. We have hired their graduates and will continue to consider them for full-time employment in the future.

Robert Hendrix, Engineering Manager, Metso Minerals Industries, Inc.

Contact the Engineering Co-op Program Director(s) to build a recruiting strategy that will increase your visibility and build your presence among the students. The Co-op Employer Overview may answer some of your questions regarding co-op schedules, work assignments, etc. 

Below are some suggestions for raising the interest of qualified students to your company:

• Promote your company by posting co-op, part-time and full-time positions on Handshake, York College's internal career search engine. (Please note we have moved from Spartan Career Path to Handshake as of June 2023.)
• Attend our annual career expo, host a recruiting day or conduct on-campus interviews.
• Host a company tour or schedule a campus visit to speak with students.
• Collaborate on research projects with students and faculty.
• Provide support for scholarships/activities.

Posting co-op positions is easy

• The Engineering Co-op Program Director(s) will:
  • Email reminders to announce co-op hiring periods and obtain job postings.
  • Help you post your co-op position on Handshake.
  • Assist with scheduling interviews and other networking or recruitment opportunities.
• Employers are encouraged to post positions at least three months in advance of the hiring date.
• A review of credentials, interviews and offers should be completed at least one month prior to the official start date.

 Co-op employment timelines

• Each co-op experience must last a minimum of 12 weeks (summer) and a minimum of 15 weeks (spring or fall).
• Work weeks must be full-time.
• Students co-op each semester as follows:
  • Summer: May -  August (sophomore)
  • Spring: January - May (junior)
  • A limited number of students may be available for fall co-op semesters (August - December) due to unique student circumstances.