<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=009zMC_1GqE2Zd200" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=009zMC_1GqE2Zd200" width="1200" height="630" ></figure>Worcester State University will design a paid cooperative education program with help from a state grant announced Friday, Nov. 6. The first students could begin placements in the 2027-28 academic year.The state awarded a combined $60,000 to Worcester State and UMass Dartmouth. Worcester State plans co-ops in municipal and cultural affairs, chemistry and biotechnology, and early childhood education. UMass Dartmouth will focus on allied health and health care, with placements across the South Coast.A co-op places a student in a full-time, paid job tied to the student’s field of study for four to eight months. At UMass Lowell, which runs the leading co-op program among the state’s public universities, students on six-month co-ops earn an average of $20,714 during the work term, according to the governor’s office.“We are excited to receive this state investment in the development of Worcester State’s co-op program,” Worcester State President Barry Maloney said. He said the grant would help the university build a co-op model that connects students with employers and the surrounding community.Maloney outlined early plans in a <a href="https://www.worcester.edu/magazine/?p=2751">letter in the spring 2026 issue of Worcester State Magazine</a>. He wrote that the university was planning three municipal co-ops with the city of Worcester, each pairing the urban studies major with a different minor through the university’s MajorPlus framework. He also wrote that the School of Science, Technology and Health had begun using employer partnerships to set up paid work experiences in several departments.The money comes from the Massachusetts Cooperative Education Initiative, a partnership between the <a href="https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-higher-education">Department of Higher Education’s</a> Innovation Hub and UMass Lowell. The state <a href="https://www.mass.gov/news/healey-driscoll-administration-invests-in-paid-co-op-programs-to-prepare-students-for-in-demand-careers">opened this “Fast Follower” grant round in July</a> for public four-year campuses.Earlier this year, the initiative awarded $210,000 in “First Mover” grants to Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Bridgewater State University and Framingham State University. The two new grants bring the number of participating campuses to five.Over the next year, Worcester State and UMass Dartmouth will build academic programs and employer partnerships, recruit students and plan how to keep the co-ops running long term. UMass Lowell will provide technical assistance and coaching, and both campuses will join statewide peer learning sessions.Gov. Maura Healey said co-ops let students earn money and build ties with employers before they graduate, which helps keep talent in Massachusetts. “Paid co-ops give students the chance to put what they’re learning into practice,” Healey said.Interim Commissioner of Higher Education José Luis Santos called the growth from three campuses to five a step toward a statewide co-op model.The Department of Higher Education <a href="https://www.mass.gov/news/healey-driscoll-administration-launches-work-based-learning-initiative-for-massachusetts-public-higher-education-students">launched the Innovation Hub in 2025</a> with a $2.1 million grant from the nonprofit Axim Collaborative. The hub tests new approaches to college access and student success and expands the ones that work. Expanding co-ops ranks among its top priorities.Image courtesy of Worcester State University</div></body>

Block Source: thisweekinworcester.com

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

Worcester State University will design a paid cooperative education program with help from a state grant announced Friday, Nov. 6. The first students could begin placements in the 2027-28 academic year. The state awarded a combined $60,000 to Worcester State and UMass Dartmouth. Worcester State plans co-ops in municipal and...

Worcester State wins state grant to build paid co-op program

NewsBreak

thisweekinworcester.com

Worcester State University will design a paid cooperative education program with help from a state grant announced Friday, Nov. 6. The first students could

Worcester State wins state grant to build paid co-op program

Comments / 1