Cumberland Valley High School: Developing a Cooperative Education Employer Manual

Posted on Categories Business, Community, Workforce Engagement, Career Development & Postsecondary Prep, Cooperative Education, Engagement

At a Glance

Cumberland Valley High School has a robust Cooperative Education Program allowing high school seniors the opportunity to engage in high quality work-based learning with local employers. This profile highlights the Cooperative Education Employer Manual created by Career Coordinator, Terri Consevage.

Description

The Cooperative Education (COOP) program at Cumberland Valley High School permits junior and senior career and technical education students to be released from the school campus to work part-time or full-time for an employer providing the student with workplace competencies developed through paid, supervised, on-the-job training related to an occupational goal. Career Coordinator, Terri Consevage, who oversees the program knows that the key to a strong COOP program is finding employers who will provide students with sound work-based learning experiences. Therefore, in 2020 she set out to create a manual  that would highlight not only the existence of the Cooperative Education Program at Cumberland Valley High School but also serve as a tool to recruit and retain employers as COOP work sites and provide information to students and parents interested in the COOP program.

With this in mind, Terri Consevage gathered resources, needed information, and spent approximately two months designing the manual. A draft of the manual was reviewed by the Supervisor of Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology at Cumberland Valley and Terri received permission to publish the manual for immediate use in her program.

The manual provides employers with detailed information about their role and responsibilities and also those of the COOP Coordinator, student, and the student’s family. As the program is subject to Pennsylvania State guidelines, the manual is a roadmap for employers to become a COOP site, from obtaining required clearances to state and federal laws that apply to payroll, Social Security, federal income tax rules and procedures, and information about the Pennsylvania Child Labor Laws. In addition, the manual is available to students, parents, and other interested parties.

Impact

The project resulted in a definitive written document that can be accessed by students, parents, and employers interested in the Cooperative Education Program.  It addresses the components of the program and provides specific guidelines for all persons who choose to participate. Terri Consevage shared that the manual has been a wonderful tool to use when soliciting as well as onboarding employers and she will continue to use this manual when meeting with potential employers and with students enrolled in Cooperative Education.  The manual will need to be reviewed regularly and updated  as Pennsylvania CTC requirements or Cumberland Valley policies change.

CVHS Cooperative Education Employer Manual

Contact

Cumberland Valley High School

Terri M. Consevage, M. Ed.
Career Coordinator
Cumberland Valley High School
Office: (717) 506-3516
tconsevage@cvschools.org