Grinnell Mutual rebuilds top co-op program
Grinnell Mutual started its co-op program in 2012 to help college students take their classroom learning to their professional careers. Eight years later, after a restructuring in 2017, the program is better than ever.
“We rebuilt our program to focus on the critical skills needed for tomorrow's jobs. Leveraging our current employee alumni, we partnered with local universities and built strategic connections with student organizations,” said Vice President of Talent Development Jeff Vogts.
“Today our program is known among the campuses for providing students with real world career skills, professional development, growth, and a culture where students can help make a difference. We owe the success of our program to the talented employees who have volunteered to be mentors and coaches."
The program has grown to be very successful for both the co-op students and the company.
Since its makeover in 2017, there has been a 45 percent conversion rate from co-op to full-time position.
This has not gone unnoticed. In 2019, Grinnell Mutual was ranked by Vault as #44 in the Best Internship category. In 2020, the program took a huge leap to #7 overall in Vault’s ranking. Grinnell Mutual was also ranked in Best Internships for Employment Prospects, Best Internships for Compensation and Benefits, and Best Internships for Quality of Life.
Current co-op Alivia Gerstein said, “I was honored to be offered a co-op position at a top-ranked company. My work at Grinnell so far has been a great learning experience of working in the real world.”
This year, because of the pandemic, Grinnell Mutual and its co-ops faced a new kind of experience. While many companies rescinded students’ offers for 2020, Grinnell Mutual was able to transition co-ops to working from home, as well as start new co-op positions in the work-from-home setting.
Even while working from home, the fun activities and learning for co-ops has not stopped. Co-ops have been able to gather virtually to stay connected while at home.
Laurynn Mize joined the co-op team this July. She says “I am so grateful to be able to work at a company that values their people so much that they have offered a safe and flexible work environment that still provides me with fantastic professional opportunities.”
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Laurynn Mize joined the co-op team this July. She says “I am so grateful to be able to work at a company that values their people so much that they have offered a safe and flexible work environment that still provides me with fantastic professional opportunities.”