Bristol-Plymouth
Co-operative Work Program

The Cooperative Work Program is designed to develop partnerships between industry and technical education to enhance the employability skills of our high school students. It is a work program approved by the Department of Education and supported by the Bristol-Plymouth Regional School District.

The cooperative technical education program is an extension of a student's curriculum which combines academic and technical instruction with employment. This employment is a supervised, on-the-job experience in a trade specific industrial setting.

This program utilizes a method of instruction that involves the community work force, school facilities, and the learner. The student experiences the realities of an occupational setting paralleling the school instructional program. Consequently, the gap is bridged between education and employment by integrating school-based and work-based learning into a productive school-to-work transition which encompasses all aspects of today's industrial workforce.

Students must complete a thorough screening to qualify for the cooperative education program. After the student has received approval from the instructor as a cooperative student-learner and after having obtained 1,000 hours of shop experience, the student is available for employment on an alternate weekly basis. Student learners are paid for their work and are subject to the same rules and regulations as regular employees. The student-learner's work experiences are cooperatively planned and monitored by the employer and the co-op coordinator. The successful student learner not only earns while learning, but is an excellent candidate for full-time employment following graduation.

The standards for the cooperating employer set down by the Massachusetts Department of Education are as follows:

1. Supply Worker's Compensation in case of injury.
2. Provide a job which is productive and progressive in nature.
3. Pay wages comparable to those paid to other persons doing similar work in the same establishment.
4. Ensure hours and working conditions shall conform with those established by laws affecting minors of the same age groups in employment.
5. Evaluate the performance of the student using weekly time cards.

The standards for students to be selected into the program are listed below.

The student is required to:

1. Attain a position directly related to technical program.
2. Obtain recommendations from technical instructors.
3. Maintain satisfactory academic grades and attendance record.
4. Provide their own transportation to work.
5. Complete weekly time cards.
6. Adhere to work standards as set by the employer.

The co-op program is unique to technical schools as it continuously provides partnerships between industry, business and education to provide a higher skilled and better prepared society for the future.

For further information, please contact the Cooperative Education Placement Office at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School - Telephone (508) 823-5151, Ext. 130.