Cooperative Education
The TECO Energy Cooperative Education Program offers college degree-seeking students the opportunity for professional growth while meeting the business needs of the company. The program is an extension of the educational process, providing practical experience to complement formal classroom work.
The co-op program recruits students from colleges to give them an opportunity to work in a professional environment related to their field of study. Typically students involved in this program will work a schedule that allows them to alternate semesters, working and attending school on a full-time basis. TECO Energy requires students to work the equivalent of at least two full-time semesters.
“I began my career at Tampa Electric as a University of South Florida co-op student. Looking back, it’s clear that this program helped me gain invaluable experience on the job. I see now that this experience, which successfully blended business skills with my educational background, provided a good foundation on which to start my career.”
— John Ramil,
President and
Chief Operating Officer
TECO Energy |
Types of opportunities
There are two types of co-op opportunities:
- Alternating Plan - allows students to alternate full-time semesters of training, 35 to 40 hours a week per semester, with full-time semesters of study. An exception would be for spring semester students in good standings offered an extension through the summer semester.
- Parallel Plan - allows students to work their co-op assignments on a part-time basis, 15 to 25 hours a week per semester, while taking classes.
Qualifications
- Enrollment in a ABET accredited university or college
- Enrollment in that institution’s co-op program
- Minimum GPA for all disciplines of 2.25 on a 4.0 scale
- Satisfactory progress in school and on the job
Assignments
All positions provide experience in an area related to the student’s respective course of study. Work assignments are consistent with the work needs of the department and the company. They are intended to provide meaningful and challenging work to the student. For example:
- Energy Supply. Engineering students will assist engineers at any one of our three power plants (coal, natural gas and integrated gasification combined-cycle process) in the generation of electricity.
- Energy Delivery. Engineering students will assist engineers at any one of our service areas (western, eastern, central) in the design of electrical systems to deliver power to our customers.
- Information Technology. Students will learn how to troubleshoot, analyze and work within our networking systems and computer applications.
- Specialized Services (Accounting and Finance, HR, Marketing, Customer Care). Students will work with team members in a variety of ways to support our businesses.
Benefits
- Diverse work locations in the city of Tampa. Housing information provided for out-of-state students.
- Competitive salaries that increase with each alternating term or after 640 hours worked in parallel terms.
- Paid corporate holidays and sick leave.
- Travel reimbursement for some students.
How to become a co-op
- Apply to your college’s co-op program first. We will be posting open positions on the university’s job board.
- Then, apply to TECO Energy. In addition to applying through the school’s Web site, students must also apply for positions through our company Web site. You must create an application online to be considered for any co-op positions.
- Interview. You will go through at least one behavioral based interview, on the phone or in person, with a Recruitment & Staffing representative. Some co-ops will be invited to an additional interview at the jobsite.
- Offer. Offers are made approximately two to four weeks before the school term begins. All students will be subject to a drug screening and background check. Some students will be required to take a physical and have a driver’s license check.
