It’s a typical Tuesday for Cranston resident Stephanie Martin. At 11 a.m. she is behind a desk at Providence Mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci’s office coordinating special events. After she leaves City Hall at four, Martin is soon seated behind another desk, this time at the Community College of Rhode Island in Lincoln. She is enrolled there as a full-time student one semester away from earning her associate’s degree in business administration.
Martin, like more than 100 other CCRI students is enrolled in the college’s Cooperative Education Program, balancing a job and school.
Beyond Cash Donations: How New Forms of Giving Are Transforming Not-for-Profit Accounting
Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,…
Learn More
“This has really given me an idea of what it would be like in my field,” she said. “I don’t think you really know what it’s all about until you do it. It’s all about the hands-on learning.”
According to Anne M. Marge, director of the Cooperative Education Program, Martin’s experience is similar to others enrolled in the program. She said the purpose of the 10-year-old program is to help students build on their education, and gain some “real life” work skills.
“This type of program puts students ahead of others in their field,” Marge said. “It allows students to become more marketable in their chosen field because they already have a knowledge of how it works.”
The four-credit program is available at all three CCRI campuses in Lincoln, Warwick and Providence. The program requires students to work between 15 and 20 hours a week at their job placement, and meet once a week at a Cooperative Work Experience Seminar. The hour and half class is designed to integrate classroom studies and work experiences. Marge said some of the topics covered include organization image and attitude, sexual harassment, decision making, and ethics.
“The classes covers a wide-variety of topics that relate to students’ placement,” Marge said. “Students discuss communication, time management, and identify their own performance objective during the class.”
Marge said developing performance objectives simply means identifying students’ individual goals on what they would like to learn, and then discovering how they would like to learn those goals.
“This is where students really begin to use their education as a foundation for their future,” she said. “They make a fresh approach to the position based on their own strengths and interests.”
During the semester, the seminar teacher will also do an on-site visit with the student, and meet with their supervisor.
“There is a great deal of support during the semester,” Marge said. “Students are given a wide variety of resources to use, and their seminar teacher helps them to really cultivate those resources.”
There are a range of placement opportunities for students, including businesses and non-profit organizations, Marge said. Students have been placed in a variety of fields, including human resources, computer technology, and insurance. Some of the placements are paid positions, while others are volunteer.
Marge said unlike when the program first started and employers were somewhat hesitant to hire, today’s strong economy has bolstered a need for well-trained employees.
“Businesses are really in a much better position today,” she said. “This has been a real plus for our students. We are finding that they are really in demand.”
Marge said many of the placements have led to full-time employment for students after graduation.
“Companies are really finding that the program meets their needs,” she said. “It’s like one-stop shopping because they can have a student in the program, train them and then employ them full-time.”
Martin said though she isn’t sure that working in the mayor’s office is something she would like to make a career of, she has decided to continue with her education and plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in communication. Still, she said it has been a wonderful experience.
“I am so glad that I did it,” she said. “I have already recommended it to one of my other friends. I wouldn’t have known what I wanted to do without it.”
