Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Cooperative Work Experience - CWE-189
At the information meeting the facilitator will explain CWEE course policies that are required by the California Education Code. Students are made fully aware of the requirements and that failure to produce the required forms and signatures may result in a failed grade or being dropped from the course EVEN IF THE STUDENT HAS COMPLETED ALL OF THE ASSIGNMENTS.
Can I change jobs during the semester?
If this situation arises it is important to inform your faculty advisor immediately to discuss options. Each situation is unique and extensions may be granted depending on the circumstances.
Do students attend classes?Yes. There is one mandatory class meeting during the first week of the session. However, CWE-189 is primarily independent study.
Are CWEE units transferable?CWEE-188 and CWEE-189 courses transfer to the CSU system as elective units. However, you should consult with an academic counselor for potential unit limitations.
Does CWEE find a job or internship for me?No. CWEE provides a resource for students to apply to internships and receive credit for either a job or internship. To be eligible to enroll in a CWEE section, interested students will need to search and apply for internships.
What is required of my employer?
• Meet with a CWEE faculty advisor.
• Sign off and approve the student’s workplace project objective(s).
• Sign timesheets verifying the amount of hours a student has worked.
Can Work Experience be taken more than once?
After a student has attended an information meeting, eligible students will be approved to register for the appropriate CWEE course. Students may register for the course on their Admissions and Records assigned registration date utilizing their "MyCanyons" account.
Students may enroll through the following means:
-
Online ("Search and register for
classes")
- Go to URL: http://my.canyons.edu/
- Select Log In or Student if you need to create a new login ID or have forgotten your login information.
- After you are logged in, select Register/ Add Classes under the Registration header.
- Select Search and register for classes.
- Select the semester you wish to enroll in from the drop down menu and choose C W E as the subject.
- Select your desired section number and push the submit button at the bottom of the page.
- On the Preferred Sections page select Register from the Action drop down menu. On this page you may also select the number of units you wish to enroll in by manually changing the units.
- In-person at the Office of Admissions and Records (661) 362-3280
No. Students may only enroll in one section number per semester.
• Internships are cooperative activities in which students learn while on-the-job. An internship involves completing a set of work tasks to earn college credit and gain insight into a career. Internships may be paid or non-paid.
• An internship allows you to make informed decisions about your career and enables you to change career goals prior to graduation if the present career track doesn’t measure up to your expectations.
• In addition to the experience an internship provides, you may gain valuable business contacts and references for use in future job searches.
• Students who complete an internship often do significantly better in both salary and opportunity with real work experience behind them.
Who is eligible to become an intern?All College of the Canyons students are eligible to become an intern. Students must be in good academic standing to apply to internships on our website. They must also be over the age of 18 and/or a high school graduate.
What are the requirements?• Student interns must enroll in the appropriate CWEE course prior to the start of the internship.
• Attend a mandatory information meeting, class session, and follow-up advisor meeting with the faculty advisor.
• Interns must submit timesheets and career-related projects to the Internships office or faculty advisor by the deadlines indicated in the syllabus.
• Students may also research and apply to internships on their own and if accepted, use the CWE-189 course to earn college credit. One method of doing this is by searching the Internet for specific company names and looking for a link to an internship page.
• Students may attempt to network with current professors, local businesses, and college counselors to find an internship related to their interest.
Can I get credit for an internship that I've already done?
Can I complete more than one internship in a semester?
After a student has attended an information meeting, eligible students will be approved to register for the appropriate CWEE course. Students may register for the course on their Admissions and Records assigned registration date utilizing their "MyCanyons" account.
Students may enroll through the following means:
-
Online ("Search and register for
classes")
- Go to URL: http://my.canyons.edu/
- Select Log In or Student if you need to create a new login ID or have forgotten your login information.
- After you are logged in, select Register/ Add Classes under the Registration header.
- Select Search and register for classes.
- Select the semester you wish to enroll in from the drop down menu and choose C W E as the subject.
- Select your desired section number and push the submit button at the bottom of the page.
- On the Preferred Sections page select Register from the Action drop down menu. On this page you may also select the number of units you wish to enroll in by manually changing the units.
- In-person at the Office of Admissions and Records (661) 362-3280
Are there deadlines to apply for an internship?
Applications are due by the deadline to add CWEE for the given semester unless specified in the application.
Internships can be either paid or unpaid. To search only for paid internships on our website you can check the Paid Only checkbox.
Internships may be full-time or part-time, determined specifically by the employer. Typically internships are part-time.
The duration of an internship is determined by the employer, but will generally last the entire duration of the semester. Check a specific internship listing for details.
Students may only enroll in the course if he/she has an internship or a job.
If your employer requires you to be enrolled in CWEE to receive workers compensation coverage then you must register for CWEE in the next semester. However, consider the limitations of 16 units maximum for CWE-188 and 6 units maximum for CWE-189. If you have exhausted your CWEE repeats and are unable to register for CWEE, this is a good time for you to approach the employer to consider hiring you even if only temporarily.
Yes, for more information International Students should contact the ISP office to determine their eligibility. The Internships staff will consult with the International Students department to confirm eligibility based on VISA guidelines.
Students may enroll in 1-4 units. For each unit a student is enrolled, students must ensure that they complete 60 hours (if unpaid) or 75 hours (if paid) for each enrolled unit over the duration of the semester; refer to the translation chart below.
Units Hours required for Paid Hours required for Unpaid 1 75 60 2 150 120 3 225 180 *4 300 240 *Reserved for CWE-188 students.
Instructions can be found here.
• Provide additional support to overloaded employees and are an excellent worker pool
• Reduce recruitment and training costs
• May become reliable and skilled permanent employees
• Contribute to the success of the business through increased productivity
• Introduce innovative, fresh ideas and talent
Companies interested in posting internships through CWEE can do so by creating a login here. From the employer side, employers can create new internship listings. These listings will not be available to students until they are approved by the Internships director.
Home-based businesses typically will not qualify to participate in the Internships/Cooperative Work Experience Program.
Employers will be expected to ensure that students receive a minimum 60 hours per semester if the position is unpaid and 75 hours per semester if the position is paid. Unpaid interns are limited by the amount of units they are enrolled. If the position is related to their major they may work up to 240 hours per semester but must work a minimum of 60 hours to meet program requirements for 1 unit.
Employers are encouraged to contact the student for an interview. If you decide to hire the student, you should refer the student to our office and contact us so that we can advise the student on how they should enroll.
Internships should provide students with opportunities to understand important concepts, develop essential skills, and apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world problems and opportunities in the workplace. Supervisors should ensure the assignment of challenging projects and tasks, which would be recognized within the business/industry as a valuable experience. Whenever possible the intern should be included in meetings and organization events. Interns are expected to learn generally accepted business principles, standards and work ethics.
Employers will be responsible for the following:
• Reading and signing the Employer/Supervisor Letter.
• Signing and reporting hours worked on the Internships timesheet.
• Approving the intern’s workplace project.
• A jobsite meeting with an Internships Faculty Advisor.
Internships typically last for the entire semester but ultimately conclude when the intern has completed their hours. If the intern is unpaid they will need to enroll in the next semester to remain covered under worker’s compensation.
Employers are encouraged to contact students for interviews by e-mail or phones. Employers are also encouraged to request unofficial transcripts, resumes, and references when scheduling an interview.
If the intern is not working out or a situation arises please contact the Internships office as soon as possible.