Cooperative Education Student Information

In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria, students must agree to the following requirements in order to participate in the Cooperative Education/Internship program.

1. Schedule an initial appointment in the Co-op office using your CCN account
2. Complete the necessary paperwork
   • Updated, reviewed, and approved Resume
   • Updated Cover Letter, Copy of OSHA Card, Cooperative Education/Internship application, cooperative Education Work Permit (if under age 18)
3. Sign off on Cooperative Education/Internship Course Expectations
4. When the paperwork is complete, schedule an orientation meeting using your CCN account

Students will be given a start date upon completing the necessary paperwork and attending the orientation session. Students may not begin a Co-op/Internship placement until a start date is authorized by the Cooperative Education Office and CTAE instructor.

Students must maintain favorable attendance while on Co-op/Internship, during both CTE and academic cycles. See ENSATS Student Handbook for attendance policy.

You are expected to adhere to the schedule of work hours/days listed on the Cooperative Education/Internship Agreement. Please note that the number of hours may vary depending on the employer. For example, some students are contracted to work the minimum requirement of 30 hours while others may be contracted for up to 40 hours.

Absences during the work week count as school absences. Any “days off” other than a sick day must receive prior approval by the CTE instructor and Cooperative Education Coordinator and must be explained on the weekly time sheet.

The procedures below must be followed if you are absent from work:

• Contact your supervisor
• Call the ENSATS attendance line to report your absence
• Contact the Co-op office or your CTE instructor via voice mail or email
• List the reason for the absence on your weekly time sheet

If you have a planned period of extended absence (ie: medical, family, personal), you must notify your supervisor, CTE instructor, the Cooperative Education office as soon as possible.

If your supervisor notifies you for any reason not to report to work on any given day, YOU MUST NOTIFY the Co-op office and CTE instructor ASAP and PLAN TO BE IN SCHOOL. You will report to your CTE area in uniform prepared to participate in all CTE assignments during that day. If you do not report to school or work, it is counted as an absence.

While you are assigned to be at your Cooperative Education placement, you are not allowed to be in school during the school day. You are not permitted to use time scheduled for Cooperative Education to come to school to work on your academic requirements. If you need to make up work, speak with counselors, teachers, coaches, you must do so during your academic week or schedule time after the school day has ended.

Exceptions will be considered for special circumstances such as athletic events requiring an early dismissal, college visits, testing that is not being offered at any other time, other unforeseen special circumstances. All exceptions must be cleared by your supervisor, Cooperative Education coordinator, and CTE instructor in advance.

While you are working at your Cooperative Education placement, remember that you are representing Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School. Professional behavior is expected at all times.

Work hours are not necessarily the same as school hours and are listed by the employer on the Cooperative Education Agreement. These are the hours you are expected to work.

Any variation from these hours must be discussed with the CTE instructor and Cooperative Education Coordinator/Career Counselor. Adherence to all company policies is required.

Expectations:

• Arrive on time and follow the directives given by your supervisors
• CELL PHONE USE is not acceptable for personal use while on the job
  • You should find a safe place to store your phone until you are given a break and/or lunchtime. TEXTING, checking email/Facebook/Instagram, Snapchat, etc. is to be done during your own time, not the time that the company is paying you to do a job
• Proper PPE must be used at all times
• If you are going to be absent or will be late, you MUST:
  • Notify your supervisor(s) well in advance, before your shift is to start
  • Contact the Co-op office via email or voicemail
  • List the reason for absence on your time sheet

Your time sheet is a vital part of your Cooperative Education/Internship placement. Time sheets are used for grading and attendance verification purposes. Submitting time sheet on time is not only necessary to record your grades but it is used to account for your attendance.

Time sheets are to be submitted to your CTE instructor and the CTE Academy Office immediately upon completion of the work week. Late time sheets may result in a loss of points from your original grade. Students with one or more outstanding time sheets or habitual tardiness of time sheets may be required to return to CTE until outstanding time sheets are submitted. Continued habitual tardiness of time sheet submission may result in termination of the placement.

Incomplete time sheets may also result in the deduction of points. It is very important that ALL INFORMATION is completed on the time sheet for accurate recording purposes.

Time sheets are not required to be completed during vacation weeks.

The scheduled holidays and vacations on the school calendar ARE NOT necessarily in effect during your Co-op placement. Students taking part in unpaid internships are not required to work on any school holiday or during vacation time.

It is your responsibility to discuss upcoming holidays and vacations IN ADVANCE with your supervisor. Please note that the school calendar is subject to change throughout the school year.

If you receive notification that school has been delayed or canceled, it does not mean that work has been delayed or canceled. Please contact your supervisor directly to discuss your attendance. Discuss a plan for snow days in advance, with your supervisor. Many times, although school is canceled due to weather, roads may be clear enough for you to travel later in the morning. If a caretaker does not feel it is safe for you to travel, please notify your supervisor as soon as possible. Please use caution if you decide to drive in inclement weather.

In the event of an extended school closure that may have an effect on Cooperative Education and Internship placements, communication about your placement will come directly from a member of the Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School administration and/or the Cooperative Education office.

While you are on Cooperative Education or Internship, you are expected to maintain favorable grades. Grades will be checked twice per term: at progress report time and at report card time. If there is cause for concern on your progress report or report card, you, your caretaker, instructors, guidance counselor, and employer will be notified.

If you are in danger of failing any class at the time of progress reports (70 or below), you will be placed on probation.

A student may be placed on probation if there is cause for concern with grades, and/or attendance, or late submission of weekly time sheets. Caretaker, guidance counselor, instructors, and employers will be notified if a student is placed on probation.

Terms of probation are as follows; You must meet with the Cooperative Education Coordinator to discuss the issues and discuss a plan for improvement. Part of that plan may be to stay after school for help with individual teachers and a weekly evaluation sheet completed by all instructors.

In all cases, it is the student’s responsibility to address the issues of concern and see that the result is not a failure of the class.

Students may not use CTE time/Cooperative Education time to make up academic coursework.

If you are injured on the job, you must notify your supervisor AT ONCE. If medical attention is required, you and/or your supervisor must notify your caretaker and the Cooperative Education office or CTE instructor. ALL INJURIES must be reported!

If you will be in school as a result of an on-the-job injury, you must notify the Cooperative Education office and provide any documentation that relates to the injury and any restrictions. Permission to return to work must be documented by a physician and submitted to the Cooperative Education office.

The Cooperative Education office will communicate with you via your school email. It is your responsibility to check your email regularly for any pertinent information.

If you need to make an appointment in the co-op office, please use your CCN account to schedule a meeting time.

Cooperative Education/Internship is an assigned course. It is the expectation that once you begin a placement, you complete the course.

If you are thinking of leaving your placement for any reason, you must first discuss this with your CTE instructor and the Cooperative Education Coordinator to determine the best course of action. Most times you will be required to give a two-week notice and submit a letter of resignation to the employer.

Leaving a job is an important decision that has many effects. There is a correct way to leave a job. If the ultimate decision is to leave, a plan must be put into effect for you to provide proper notice to your employer and transition back into your technical program. Since Co-op/Internship is a scheduled “course”, every effort should be made to complete the current term before transferring back to your CTE program.

The Cooperative Education agreement between Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School and your employer will be terminated at the end of your last CTE cycle prior to graduation. Before this time, you should have a conversation with your employer about your future with the company. If the company chooses to, they may hire you as a full-time employee. If the company chooses not to hire you full-time, their obligation to you and to Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School is terminated.

Please note that a Cooperative Education agreement can be terminated at any time by Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School or the employer for appropriate reasons. Please note that as a student enrolled in the Cooperative Education program, you are receiving course credit for this program. If your placement should come to an end for any reason, you will return to your CTE program and resume the course on campus and continue to receive the course credit.

After reading the contents of this manual in its entirety, click on the link below and complete the acknowledgement.

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