Dear Business Owners and Managers:

Learning Into Action and Cooperative Education encourages students to take classroom learning into the community and use these newly acquired skills and abilities at a worksite. This experience is similar to an internship, and can involve a commitment from the student for as little as 30 hours or a longer term.

The college is committed to developing our students to their highest potential and feel this "hands on" experience will assist our college in this commitment. We thank you for committing yourself to the development of our students and the future employees of this community.

As a supervisor, there are just a few forms for you to complete: Learning Contract, Objective Statement Worksheet, Time Logs, and Supervisor Evaluation.

First, the student should present to you a Learning Contract and an Objective Statement Worksheet. The contract holds the student accountable for completing their "internship" experience with you, while the worksheet will define their goals for the experience. Students should meet with you to develop goals for what they will accomplish for your organization while gaining experience using skills learned in the classroom.

Time Logs will be maintained by the students and submitted with your signature at the end of the quarter.

Lastly, there is a Supervisor Evaluation Form that needs to be completed at the end of the working relationship. This form is designed for you to express your comments and concerns and to document the student's actions at your workplace.

In addition, I may be contacting you regarding a site visit. If your organization has been chosen for a site visit, I will contact you by phone to arrange a time for the visit. If you are interested in hosting students in future quarters, please e-mail me and I can add you to my database of participating organizations.

I look forward to a working relationship with you. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me through email or phone. robin.bridges@skagit.edu or 360-679-5326

 Benefits to Employers:

• Brings up to date ideas and current business practices they have learned in the classroom.
• Offers a source of skilled, motivated, and well-prepared future employees.
• Provides temporary employees that are motivated and eager to learn.
• Presents an opportunity to develop new projects with students' assistance.
• Provides feedback to college faculty about currently needed job skills in their field.