Emerging digital academy
Co-Op Program
The EDA Co-Op Program is designed to provide employers with a hiring model that reduces hiring risk and increases access to opportunities for our students, all while being cost effective and flexible.
Program Highlights:
Duration
The program can range from 10 to 16 weeks depending on needs from all parties.
Scope
Together, we design a scope of work that includes a weekly budget, term length, and training and onboarding goals.
Schedule
Students work up to 28 hours a week with an additional 2 hours of training at EDA.
Performance Reviews
Employers benefit from scheduled reviews, and Emerging Prairie assists performance improvement.
Program
The employer interviews students and offers a co-op position to their desired candidate.
End of Program
The employer interviews students and offers the co-op position to their desired candidate.
How it works:
Interviews
Employer interviews candidates and ranks them based on preference.
Hiring
Emerging Prairie hires the graduate part-time, taking on payroll logistics and overhead.
Scope
Together, we design a scope of work that includes a predictable weekly budget, term length, and training and onboarding goals.
Cost Breakdown:
The employer is billed $32/hr up to 28 hours/week and the student is paid $20/hr, with an additional 2 hours of training and professional development per week that are paid to the student but not billed to the employer; this cost along with payroll and management overhead is built into the billable rate.
For comparison, please note that the cost model is designed to provide a significant cost savings (30%+) compared to equivalent salaried $60k full-time hire over the same period. Additionally, the specific terms of each internship are flexible, and some employers may opt for additional supported training or contracted services through our extensive mentorship network.
Company Profile: Tech Startup, Seed Funded, Team Size < 5, Technical CoFounder
Scope of work: Staff augmentation, flexible hiring, feature-based scope
Technologies: NextJS, React, Algolia
Internship style: 1 intern, 30 hours/week, 12 weeks
Outcome:
Successful completion of onboarding and training, employment barriers reduced for employer
Participant transitioned into full-time direct contract upon internship completion
Company Profile: Enterprise / Large Corporation Non-Profit
Scope of work: Expansion of prototype into launch ready MVP
Technologies: NodeJS, React, PostgreSQL
Internship style: 2 interns, 20 hours/week each (40 total). Employer provided product design, EDA provided technical guidance
Outcome:
Successful completion of project scope, product demo completed and presented, project launched to cloud infrastructure.
Students received professional experience, positive referrals, potential for continued work with dependency on additional funding
Company Profile: Tech Startup, Self Funded, Team Size 1
Scope of work: Expansion of prototype into launch ready MVP
Technologies: React, PostgreSQL, RemixJS
Internship style: 2 interns, 25 hours/week each (50 total), 8 weeks. Project Management and Senior Mentorship provided by employer.
Outcome:
Successful completion of MVP, startup accepted into local accelerator program
One student offered a direct contract post internship and the second student received positive referrals and work experience.