German American Co-op study program

• Main potential target group: 2 year college graduates with Associate Degree (i.e. Trident Tec, Greenville Tec etc.) or equivalent entry requirements​
  • Development of current Tec-Students in the companies​
  • Recruiting at Colleges​
• 36 month of German American Co-op study program to achieve international Bachelor of Enigineering​
• Selected Students will start their study 1 of April and 1 of October

2 +3 German American Co-op study program:

... between College and Companies:

Hands-on Experience in the Company:

During their time at the company, the students will rotate through various technical and commercial departments such as sales, production, or the laboratory. This gives them in-depth product knowledge and allows them to build a strong professional network.

They will take on responsibility for both small and large projects, managing them independently — an ideal preparation for your future career.

Each practical phase concludes with a theory-practice transfer paper, where they connect their academic knowledge with hands-on experience in the company. Students are explicitly encouraged to write about a topic that is relevant to the company.

Departments, which are usually run through within the training company (exemplary): 

Application Process: 

STEP 1: Register to become a partner company

• Appoint a Co-op Focal
• Set up an initial meeting with College of Charleston and NORDAKADEMIE consultants to discuss program implementation and support.

STEP 2: Recruit and hire qualified candidates

• Advertise the German American Co-op by recruiting internal employees, technical college graduates, qualified College of Charleston sophomores or German school graduates.
• Review applicants

Interested students will take an online selection test through NORDAKADEMIE. Partner companies will be able to review results before selecting applicants.

• Hire candidates

Sign the student-company contract. Furthermore, all students participating in the program are required to have health insurance.

STEP 3: Participant onboarding

Create an on-site interdepartmental training and onboarding plan for co-op duration, see sample training plan.

STEP 4: Program oversight and sustainment

Attend (virtual) quarterly industry review meetings with partner companies, College of Charleston and NORDAKADEMIE to discuss program implementation and best practices.

Investing in your future employees:

Three cost categories must be taken into account and agreed upon in advance. Each company can define its own framework:

• Costs for coursework: $8,000 to a max. of $22,000 per person per year, depending on state funding of the respective federal state as well as individual agreements with the companies.
• Costs for compensation: since students work within the company, financial compensation is recommended. The participating companies consider $25 per hour to be appropriate.
• Costs for travel, housing: it’s the company’s decision whether support is available.