General Information

location: Main Building C1-114

hours:
Mon 9:00a - 4:00p Tues 9:00a - 5:00p
Wed 9:00a - 4:00p Thurs 9:00a - 3:00p


 
  1. How does the class work?
  2. What are the benefits of Work Experience?
  3. How do I qualify for Work Experience?
  4. How do I enroll in Work Experience?
  5. How many units am I eligible for?
  6. Do you need a job to enroll in Work Experience?
  7. What is the difference between Occupational & General Work Experience?
  8. Student-Employee/Employer Responsibilities

 

  1. How does the class work? With the help of the Advisor and his/her work supervisor, students must establish “learning objectives” or goals for improving or learning new skills on the job. Each unit of credit requires 75 hours of work for a paid position or 60 hours of work for a volunteer position. Students may take up to 4 semesters (or up to 16 units) of Work Experience during their college career. These units will apply towards your Associates degree and are transferable to CSUs and many private schools. Work Experience can be taken as a Credit/No Credit class, and credit is based on working the required hours for the semester and completing the learning objectives. Students seeking to enhance their GPA may opt for a letter grade by also writing an essay about their accomplishments through Work Experience.
  2. What are the benefits of Work Experience?
     
    Academic Benefits
    • Earn academic units for the work you are doing at your job!
    • Work Experience units are transferable to CSUs and many private schools.
    • Another opportunity to improve your GPA!
    Career Benefits
    • Learn valuable goal setting skills
    • You have an opportunity to develop or improve job skills
    • Your accomplishments through Work Experience can be added to your resume to make you more marketable
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  3. How do I qualify for Work Experience? You need to have a job, Internship or volunteer position and you must enroll in at least 7 units including Work Experience units. (During summer session, students that want to enroll in Work Experience must be enrolled in at least one other course. They do not need to be enrolled in a minimum of 7 units).
  4. How do I enroll in Work Experience?
    Prior to the beginning of the semester
    • Step 1: Students may use WebAdvisor, TelReg or go in person to Admissions & Records to sign up for Work Experience units.
    • Step 2: Go to the Work Experience Office (room C1-114) and fill out a Work Experience application.
    • Step 3: New students must attend orientation, must sign the Student Agreement, and will be assigned to work with a Work Experience Advisor. Continuing students must also sign the Student Agreement and will be assigned to a Work Experience Advisor.
    Late Enrollment (available until week 8)
     
    Students should go directly to the Work Experience Office and fill out a Work Experience application. The Coordinator will review your application and provide an add slip to take to the Admissions &Records office.
  5. How many units am I elegible for? The number of units a student receives is dependent on how many hours the student works during the semester (see chart below) and also whether the student is eligible for Occupational or General Work Experience. Occupational Work Experience is supervised employment that is directly related to a student’s major or field of study and may be taken for up to 4 units per semester. General Work Experience may be taken for up to 3 units and is supervised employment unrelated to the students’ major. Please see the chart below for a breakdown of the required work hours per unit for a paid position and for a volunteer position:
     
    Paid Work
     
      5hr/week or 75hrs/semester = 1 unit
    10hrs/ week or 150hrs/semester =2 units
    15hrs/week or 225hrs/semester = 3 units
    20hrs/week or 300hrs/semester = 4 units
     
    Volunteer Work
     
      4hrs/week or 60hrs/semester = 1 unit
      8hrs/week or 120 hrs/semester = 2 units
    12hrs/week or 180hrs/semester = 3 units
    16hrs/week or 240hrs/semester = 4 units
  6. Do you need a job to enroll in Work Experience? Yes, you must have a job, an Internship or a volunteer position to enroll in the class. If you would like help to get a job, an internship or want information about volunteering, come visit us at the Career Placement office. Useful links:
     
    Internship
    Career Placement
     
    Volunteering
    www.volunteermatch.org
    www.vcsv.org
     
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  7. What is the difference between Occupational & General Work Experience?
    Occupational Work Experience (1-4 units)
    Occupational Work Experience is supervised employment that is directly related to a student’s major or field of study. Employment must be an extension of the student’s occupational or educational goals. In occupational work experience a student must enroll in at least seven units, which can include the work experience units. The number of units a student receives is dependent on how many hours the student works during the semester (see chart below for breakdown). A student can earn a maximum of 16 units over the course of four semesters in occupational work experience.
     
    General Work Experience (1 - 3 units)
    General Work Experience is supervised employment that is intended to assist students in acquiring desirable work habits, attitudes, and career awareness. Employment does not need to be directly related to the student’s major or field of study. Students may earn 1-3 units per semester for up to two semesters. A student can earn a maximum of 6 units of general work experience credit.

     
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  8. Student-Employee/Employer Responsibilities
     
    Student-Employee
    • Find a position (with the help of Career Placement or on your own)
    • Come to the Work Experience office to complete an application and register for the class
    • First time Work Experience students must attend orientation
    • Enroll in a minimum of 7 units of college work including Cooperative Work Experience during the Fall and Spring semesters. (During Summer session, students must take one additional class.)
    • Meet with your assigned work experience instructor to develop learning objectives for the job
    • Make conscientious effort to achieve your learning objectives
    • Contact your instructor in the event of a major change in your job or number of hours you work
    Employer
    • Assist with developing learning objectives.
    • Verify hours worked by student employee.
    • Evaluate objectives achieved by student employee.
    • Accommodate a jobsite visit by the college instructor to evaluate objectives achieved by the student employee.
    • Be in agreement with intent and purpose of Cooperative Work Experience education.
    • Comply with all state and federal employment regulations.
       
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