Experiential Learning the Key to Landing That First Job After Graduation
Philip M. Coniglio, DeMatteis School Co-op Director Philip.M.Coniglio@hofstra.eduMany things have changed in the workforce post-pandemic. Companies have learned that they do not need as much office space since staffs are either on remote or hybrid work schedules. They have been forced to adapt to new business automation systems during 2020 – 2021 and as a result have reduced their need for certain positions.
Many of the tech companies are announcing 5% to 10% employee layoffs as part of their business plans to counter any recession that might come this year.
However, with all this bad news, organizations are still filling entry-level technology and engineering positions because they know that they need to be ready when the business cycle turns around.
When we look at what is happening at the universities, more of them are offering various experiential learning opportunities. For many engineering schools a co-op experience is one of their main programs. Some schools are making it a graduation requirement to have at least one experiential learning activity on their student’s transcript.
As more employers require their entry level employees to have some experiential learning before they graduate, it is imperative that students seek out these opportunity while still in college.
The DeMatteis School’s co-op program prepares our students for a very successful launching of their careers. It validates their decision on the type of field they have chosen and gives them a strong competitive edge compared to those who have no career-related work experience, or perhaps only a summer internship.
The program is in its eight year, and now boasts over 175 alumni and over 200 corporate co-op partners, both local and national. As a measure of its effectiveness in aligning students with the right company, close to 70% of the co-op alumni are working permanently for a corporate co-op partner once they graduate.
Some of the more well-known companies that have partnered with us and have hired our students in recent years include Disney, Skanska, Northrup Grumman, Medtronic, Lockheed Martin, Johnson & Johnson, Saab, Northwell Health Systems and Altice, among others.
Here is the testimony of one of our students, Brian Ford, who did his co-op with Disney:
“Working for the Walt Disney Company has been nothing short of an amazing experience. This internship allowed me to combine my undergraduate degree in applied mathematics and statistics with my current pursuit of a master’s degree in computer science. I cannot exaggerate enough how incredible Disney internships are.”
More than ever before, DeMatteis students should take advantage of this program so that when they graduate, they can have career choices and can find that job that best matches their skills and passions.
For further information about the co-op program, please feel free to reach out to me by phone at (516) 4635548 or by email at Philip.M.Coniglio@hofstra.edu, and be sure to check out our website at https://www.hofstra.edu/dematteis-co-op/.