NIU students will learn about linking classroom education with on-the-job experience at an open house today.

The NIU Cooperative Education/Internship Program is holding an open house from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 232 of the Holmes Student Center.

Graduate Assistant Debbie Bragg, an adviser to the program, said, “The purpose of this open house is to publicize the program and to encourage students to participate.”

Bragg said the open house is a free service offered to students and paid for by student fees. “Co-op (cooperative education) is an opportunity to link classroom education with on-the-job work experience,” she said.

When a student wants to find a position they come into the office and sign up, Bragg said. “Orientation is designed to explain how the program works and have a coordinator assigned to you,” Bragg said. “Coordinators recruit students and companies as well as working as a liaison between them.”

About 2,000 students are enrolled in co-op each year, she said. Most of the jobs offered through the program have salaries and some can be obtained for college credit.

Bragg said students should look for internships and co-ops during the fall semester. In the spring, the co-op office becomes hectic because students start thinking about summer internships, she said.

“Over 60 percent of students involved in co-op are placed in full-time positions by the time they graduate from the companies that they worked for,” she said.

Some of the companies that participate in co-op include Fermilab, Sylvana Learning Centers and Walt Disney World.