Cooperative Training Program (COOP) and internship training program (summer training) are programs which are mutual effort between Faculty of Engineering (FoE) at King Abdulaziz University and industry. In these programs students join industry in their relevant field and work as a full time employee. FoE had started COOP training in 2008 after the recommendation of Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) and high demand from the students. FoE modified its programs and introduced COOP training as an optional 8 credit hours course. The students who want to register COOP training will be equalized from two 3 credit hours elective courses and 2 credit hours compulsory summer training.

Students are required to work in the industry as a full time employee during their training period, they are required to complete 26 weeks (1040 hours) as COOP trainee or 8-12 weeks (400 hours) as internship trainee.

The trainee student is monitored by assigning a academic training advisor from the academic department and an industry supervisor by the company. The academic training advisor is assigned to maintain a constant communication between industry training supervisor and the academic department in order to monitor the training program and to solve any issue related to the training. In the COOP Program, students supposed to submit to their advisor a progress report after each six week and an activity book after each month. At the end of their training period student supposed to submit a complete final report and also present it in front of COOP examination committee constituted by the department. Industry supervisor or any representative from the company also encouraged to attend this presentation. After the modification (if any) recommended by examination committee, student submit four hard copies of their final reports which are for the members of examination committee, course advisor and the department.

On-the job training programs are beneficial for both the company and the student. Students gain a practical industry work experience through a full time job which also may includes a reasonable compensation. It may also lead to a full time job. In the training period both company and student got a chance to evaluate each other. The employer also has access to fully motivated and highly qualified students eager to gain experience. It’s a great opportunity for any company to evaluate its applicants in their actual work environment before making a permanent job offer. So it is a win-win situation for both company and student. It is an effort for developing a highly qualified work-force in the nation.

We’re happy to help you raise the profile of your organization with our students. 

You can: 

• promote opportunities through our weekly student newsletter. 
• introduce your organization to our students through site visits. 
• have the opportunity to nurture the development of the next generation of workers in your field.

Contact us to discuss your needs. ( Eng-training-team@kau.edu.sa )

In addition to building your company brand on campus, there are many ways you can post trainings opportunities to our students. From a free advertisement of your training vacancies to a list of students, you can meet the right candidate students looking for COOP/internships or full-time employment in the future. 

We can help you to: 

• advertise your vacancies for free, with the option to target the students that you want to receive applications from,
• find a COOP student or an intern with the specialist skills you need,
• develop your own employees skills by becoming a student mentor and transfer their skills and knowledge to the next generation of students,
• provide you with the applicants list for your vacant training position,
• support to recruit the right candidate for COOP/Internship,
• raise your organisation's profile on campus and within our student community by delivering workshops, having a stand on campus, or deliver presentations in the EngDay event,
• sign up for our future virtual events.

Contact us to discuss your needs. ( Eng-training-team@kau.edu.sa )

Students start to search and apply for training opportunities, one semester before the training course semester begins. The training semesters usually begins in the second semester (January and February) and in the summer semester (May and June). However it can start after or before these two months. Also, few students usually go for training in the first semester (August and September).

1. COOP/Internship Students must obtain and adhere to all aspects of the training guidelines available on the training website page prior to and throughout the training experience.
2. Students must obtain and adhere to all aspects of the COOP handbook prior to and throughout the training experience.
3. Students must register the training course (400 COOP Course, 390 Internship/summer training Course) prior to participating in the COOP/internship experience. 
4. All employers must be approved by the Faculty Supervisors prior to placement. This includes any special arrangements. 

1. COOP/Internship Students may be paid, in the form of an honorarium, Compensation, stipend, or regular payroll, by the Employer during the time they are completing their COOP/internship. 
2. The student work must be directly related to his field of study and individual interest.
3. The student work experience will gradually increase in difficulty and responsibility while serving to the advantage of the employer.
4. The Employer/Company Supervisor will provide the faculty supervisors with the required evaluation(s) of the student job performance.
5. The student must complete the designated hours of documented supervised experience.

1. Faculty Supervisors will be responsible for contacting the Employer Supervisor by phone a minimum of two times during the COOP/internship. Additional contacts with the Employer Supervisor by email are encouraged.
2. Faculty Supervisors will be responsible for maintaining frequent contact with the COOP/Internship student. It is recommended that the Faculty Supervisor contact the student within the first 10 days of the training and by email or phone every two weeks thereafter. If possible, site visits would be ideal.
3. Faculty Supervisors will be responsible for evaluating progress and final reports, providing immediate feedback to the student within three to five days.
4. Faculty Supervisors are expected to provide appropriate oversight, advice, and mentoring to the student interns.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

A training period (COOP: 26 Weeks, Internship 8-12 Weeks) of supervised hands-on work experience at a recognized firm in a capacity which ensures that the student applies his engineering knowledge and acquires professional experience in his field of study at KAU. The student is required to communicate, clearly and concisely, training details and gained experience both orally and in writing. The student is evaluated based on his abilities to perform professionally, demonstrate technical competence, work efficiently, and to remain business focused, quality oriented, and committed to personal professional development.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Course Leaning Outcomes By completion of the course, the students should be able to:

1. Apply knowledge studied in the academic courses.

2. Develop new skills along with acquiring new knowledge to be able to handle unfamiliar tasks more smartly in future.

3. Integrate both academic and practical knowledge learned.

4. Recognize the value of work, time, and teamwork; and practice professional attitudes.

5. Apply technical report writing skills and oral/ visual presentations skills.

Requirements of Internship (summer) Eligibility

To ensure that the applicant is eligible to register for summer training course, the following criteria must be met:

1. The applicant must be currently enrolled at the university.
2. Passing the internship/summer training course prerequisites according to the study plan.
3. The student must already completed at least 110 credit units/hours of the study plan (155 credit units/hours) (including the current semester) and at least 115 units/hour for the industrial engineering program.
4. There is no requirement on the GPA.
5. Student is not allowed to enroll in any other course beside the internship (summer) training course.

Requirements of COOP Eligibility

To ensure that the applicant is eligible to register the COOP Training course, the following criteria must be met:

1. The applicant must be currently enrolled at the university.
2. Passing the COOP course prerequisites according to the study plan.
3. The student must have, at least, 120 credit units/hours of the study plan (155 credit units/hours) (including the current semester).
4. Minimum acceptable GPA is 3 out of 5.
5. Student is not allowed to enroll in any other course beside the COOP course.

Internship (summer) Training Course Marks Distribution

The following table is a brief explanation of the distribution of the training scores.

COOP Training Course Marks Distribution