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Co-op: More students means more workers
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Posted on Jan 29 2020
Saipan Southern High School Cooperative Education program students pose for a photo last Friday during the fall semester appreciation lunch at the Pacific Islands Club, Saipan. (Kimberly A. Bautista)
The Public School System’s Cooperative Education program, which seeks to equip high school students with entry-level job skills, saw a low enrollment for the fall semester but is hoping to boost its numbers as a way to strengthen the local workforce.
According to Brandon Nicholas, coordinator of the PSS Cooperative Education program, this semester saw 80 students enrolling in the program on Saipan, which he describes as a little lower than targeted.
“We had around 80 students on Saipan but, in general, we had about 120 or 130 including Tinian and Rota. It’s a little low but we hope to pick it up,” he said.
Nicholas said the program’s target goal every semester is anywhere from 140 to 160 students.
Nicholas said the program is always doing its best to increase enrollment numbers because more students enrolled means more individuals entering the CNMI workforce in the near future.
“I work very closely with our teachers and our counselors to try and enroll as many students as we can because the more students that we serve, the more students we can send to the workforce, so that’s always our main goal, to increase enrollment,” Nicholas said.
The co-op program, according to Nicholas, seeks to help students understand the world of work and help them prepare for the workforce.
“Especially given everything that’s going on now with the labor shortage that our private sector is facing, the goal of the program is to help these students prepare for work and to help them find full-time positions in the private sector,” he said.
The students participating in the program work with various companies as trainees. The company does not pay the students but the students do receive experience in the world of work. Although they are not considered employees, they still perform the duties of an employee.
Last Friday, the co-op program held its fall 2019 semester appreciation lunch for its Saipan community partners.
“It’s just something we do at the end of every semester to show our appreciation to our partners for making this possible. Our partners include private sector companies, non-profits, as well as a few government agencies,” he said.
