An engineering firm's co-op program that connects students with seasoned engineers could help resolve engineering's labor shortage.
The need for engineers is growing. But the number of people qualified to take those jobs is shrinking.
The United States needs about 400,000 new engineers each year, according to the Boston Consulting Group. But about 30% of those jobs will go unfilled annually through 2030.
It is a problem employers are trying to address head-on. From apprenticeships to on-the-job training to co-op programs, engineering firms and manufacturers are looking to entice Generation Z into trades and STEM-based careers.
Don’t fall into the gap
Some engineering roles are growing rapidly, including industrial engineering, which will grow by 12% in the 10 years between 2023 and 2033, faster than the industry average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mechanical engineering will grow by 11% over those 10 years, and electrical and electronics engineering will grow by 9% over the same period, much faster than average.
Given that these sectors are growing, it begs the question. Will there be enough trained engineers to take those roles over the next 10 years? And, if not, how will engineering and manufacturing firms avoid falling into that gap?
Hargrove Controls & Automation has a co-op program in which students at select colleges and universities work with the engineering firm on a rotating basis, attending classes for one semester and working at the firm the next until they graduate and are ready to take a full-time position.
It’s not an internship
Jody Poirier, a controls and automation division engineering leader, as well as Megan McIntosh, a controls engineer with Hargrove, penned an article on the topic for the May/June issue of Control Engineering. It’s part of the company’s effort to attract early-career employees.
“We have quite a robust co-op program here,” Poirier told Control Engineering in an interview. “You go and recruit students who want to work on a rotation-based schedule with an engineering firm.”
But it’s not an internship program. Those are centered on offering summer job opportunities to students rather than immersing them in a company’s culture. Retention is the goal of a co-op program, whereas internships are often temporary. Plus, Poirier pointed out, most engineers are away on vacation in the summer, leaving little opportunity for students to work with more seasoned professionals.
Poirier said the company interviews students to find the best fit for both Hargrove and the student.
“They come into our culture and provide value for us and them,” he said.
They determine which rotation each co-op participant would like to work. The company has multiple offices, and their Mobile, Alabama, office hosts two co-ops that come in per rotation.
“They go back to school, go back into the co-op and back and forth to see if this is what they want to do in their career.”
This way, if Hargrove makes an offer of full-time employment, those employees will hit the ground running because they already know the culture.
“They’re able to offer immediate value,” he said.
Roles progress in a co-op program
When co-op participants start, they typically get some basic corporate experience under their belt.
“The first rotation, they’re as green as can be,” Poirier said. “They’re college students. It’s their first exposure to the corporate world and the working world. We don’t make it too rough on them.”
Some tasks those co-op participants might take on include helping project managers with their daily work to get a taste of what it’s like working with engineers.
“We let them progress first rotation, come back the next and do more advanced task,” Poirier said.
In their second rotation, for example, they might design the graphics for a human machine interface (HMI). And by their third rotation working with Hargrove, they’re almost at a level 1 engineer, Poirier said.
“They’ve advanced their skills, and they can be handed something and complete it, and we’re comfortable doing that because they’ve shown us they can handle it in their first two rotations.”
Real-world training opportunities
Students in co-op programs can learn a lot from working one-on-one with engineers. But there might be things universities, colleges and trade schools can do for their students.
Poirier said he sees value in offering hands-on, real-world applications for the subjects being taught.
“Engineering is all based on theory,” he said. “They don’t focus as much on application.”
This is why, Poirier said, the co-op program is so valuable.
“You can learn all the formulas in the world, but if you don’t know how to apply them, it’s kind of difficult,” he said.
Read more about Hargrove’s co-op program in the May/June issue of Control Engineering.
