Employer Statements of Understanding - Office of Professional Practice - Purdue University

The following are the Employer Statements of Understanding that all employers must agree to in order to participate in the Office of Professional Practice's programs.

The employer accepts the following responsibilities related to its participation in Purdue University’s Cooperative Education Programs:

1. Complete the Purdue Professional Practice employer accreditation process using the on-line Co-Op Employer Database tool by: 1) reading and agreeing to this Statement of Understanding (SOU); 2) designating the academic discipline(s) from which the employer intends to recruit; 3) providing requested job posting information when the employer wishes to recruit students for co-op positions. The employer’s agreement with the provisions of the SOU will serve as the basis for qualification of the employer to recruit students in the specified disciplines. The job posting will be reviewed and approved by the appropriate faculty coordinator(s) signifying the employer’s approval to recruit students for the designated position(s).
    
2. Commit to providing a minimum of two work rotations with a maximum of five work rotations during students’ academic career. A work rotation is defined as full-time work completed over the course of one of Purdue’s three academic terms (fall, spring, summer). Students working during the fall or spring semester should have a 15-17-week experience. Students working during the summer should have a 12- week experience. In most cases, work terms will alternate between an academic period of work and an academic period of full-time study. However, work completed over consecutive academic periods is allowed. Employers need to enter the program with a long-term point of view and provide the full complement of work sessions which Purdue requires of the students, as long as the student’s work performance is rated satisfactory by the supervisor.
    
3. Understand the student requirements of Purdue’s Co-op Program. Students must complete a minimum of three work terms totaling one year of full-time work experience to earn the Industry Co-op Experience. Students are required to have a progressive experience, meaning they will complete a minimum of two work terms with the same employer. Students who complete 5 work terms with more than 18 months of experience will earn an Extensive Industry Co-op Certificate. While it is Purdue’s intention that students remain with the same company for all work terms, students are allowed to switch employers after two work terms unless the student agrees to a pre-established number of work terms stated in the original offer letter from the employer.
    
4. Students may not spend their last semester before graduation on a co-op work session; students are required to complete at least one full semester (two semesters for some majors) registered in classes prior to graduation.
    
5. Provide timely job interview closure to each student considering employment in the Professional Practice Program.
    
6. Inform the Office of Professional Practice (attention: student information specialist) of all co-op job offers made, either by e-mail or written copy of offer letter.
    
7. Provide employment related to some phase of the student’s field of study. The work experience should supplement, enhance and utilize the student’s background. The work responsibilities should push the student to expand their technical abilities and enhance their educational development.
    
8. Provide a safe work environment and diversified assignments to give the student a variety of experiences.
    
9. Provide work of increasing technical involvement and responsibility commensurate with the student’s abilities as the student progresses through the program.
    
10. Place the student under the supervision of a qualified manager who can provide the student with effective guidance and counsel during the work session and assist the student in adapting to the work environment and the organization.
     
11. Pay the student a reasonable wage commensurate with the student's ability, experience and the job responsibilities.
     
12. Counsel with the student regarding job performance and complete a performance evaluation form at the end of each work session.
     
13. Permit Professional Practice coordinators and/or the director to visit the work site and the students periodically to review the program.
     
14. Support and assist in the enforcement of the academic standards required for entrance to and continuation in the program. If the Employer’s requirements for minimum GPA for continuation in the program are more stringent than those specified by Purdue University (2.60), the Employer will monitor and enforce its own standards, with assistance from Purdue University as may be required.
     
15. State that the employer is an equal opportunity employer and abide by all local, state, and federal employment laws.
     
16. Employers that fail to uphold these responsibilities and the expectations of the Professional Practice Programs at Purdue University may be subject to suspension of their program.

The employer accepts the following responsibilities related to its participation in Purdue University’s GEARE Program:

1. Employers are committing to hire at least one GEARE student from Purdue University per year by offering one domestic internship and one subsequent international internship, each lasting a minimum of 10 weeks and a maximum of six months, as long as the student’s work performance is rated satisfactory by the supervisor after the first internship. Thus, employers need to enter the program with a long-term point of view and provide both internships that the GEARE program requires of the students. The sequence of internships is based on academic and/or job-related activities, and is approved by the GEARE coordinator in collaboration with the student and the employer.
    
2. Submit and update, as requested, a job description for the initial discipline(s) in which the employer wishes to recruit. The job description describes the assignments that a student might receive in the domestic and international internships.
    
3. Provide appropriate documents to the Purdue GEARE student for the international internship to help the Office of Professional Practice to facilitate work permits and residence visas for the student.
    
4. Pay the student a reasonable wage that is comparable to the in-country internship rate and commensurate with the student's ability, experience and the job responsibilities. Wage is to be provided directly to the student.
    
5. Provide housing information to students where the international work site is more than 50 miles from the study abroad institution.
    
6. Provide employment related to some phase of the student’s field of study. The work experience should supplement, enhance and utilize the student’s background. The work responsibilities should push the student to expand their technical abilities and enhance their educational development and gain real world experience in an international company.
    
7. Provide some form of timely job interview closure to each student considering employment in the GEARE program.
    
8. Provide diversified assignments to give the student a variety of experiences.
    
9. Provide work of increasing technical involvement and responsibility commensurate with the student’s abilities as the student progresses through the program.
    
10. Place the student under the supervision of a qualified manager who can provide the student with effective guidance and counsel during the work session and assist the student in adapting to the work environment and the organization.
     
11. Counsel with the student regarding job performance and complete a performance evaluation form at the end of the domestic and international internships.
     
12. Approve the written work report required of the student prior to the departure of the student for the subsequent academic session.
     
13. Permit GEARE coordinators and/or the directors to visit the work site and the students periodically to review the program.
     
14. Allow the collection of reasonable data for statistical evaluation purposes.
     
15. Support and assist in the enforcement of the academic standards required (12 credits of foreign language and minimum GPA) for entrance to and continuation in the program.
     
16. Provide neither bond nor guarantee of full-time employment when the student completes GEARE requirements.
     
17. State that the employer is an equal opportunity employer and abide by all local, state and country employment laws.