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The Commonwealth of Kentucky does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity, ancestry, age, disability or veteran status in employment or the provision of services. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.
The purpose of this document is to communicate the process for hiring and retaining high school students who are enrolled in the Kentucky State Government Cooperative Education and Internship Program. The uniform and impartial application of this process, along with adequate explanations based on the educational institution's requirements and the program policies, will help to maintain the integrity of the program and our relationship with students and their respective educational institutions.
This document does not replace or supersede the Kentucky State Government Cooperative Education and Internship Program Policies which may be found on the Personnel Cabinet's web site.
This document is provided on-line to insure that every administrator has access in order to fully comply with the requirements for hiring and retaining high school students. When educational or programmatic changes occur, the document will be revised and the date will be noted. It is the responsibility of each administrator to use the current document. All necessary revisions and additions will be issued by the Personnel Cabinet. The Cabinet is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of educational records as required by the Educational Privacy Act.
The program serves as a recruiting tool for agencies that cannot find potential employees with appropriate skills in order to fill their vacant positions. The program helps agencies meet their short-term staffing needs in critical skill areas and serves as a mechanism for Kentucky high school students to obtain practical on-the-job experience and academic credit as part of their educational experience.
Cooperative Education (Co-op) and Internship (Intern) students are eligible for unemployment insurance if they work more than 12 weeks and do not receive academic credit. In order for students to participate in the Program, the Personnel Cabinet will require that the student receive academic credit and the school supply proof of said credit to the Personnel Cabinet. This requirement is different from the previous practice.
It is our desire to reach educational institutions and high school students statewide and to value and embrace our differences without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity, ancestry, age, disability or veteran status. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request. Our commitment is to foster an environment of learning and support so that all parties benefit from this experience.
Employment of Co-op/Intern Student
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Agencies may consider high school students:
- Who are enrolled on a full-time basis at an accredited Kentucky school.
- Who are enrolled in at least their junior year of high school and have been certified by their school as being enrolled in a program or course of study for which practical, on-the-job experience is an integral part.
- Who are enrolled in structured training or tech prep for which practical, on-the-job experience is an integral part.
High school students must meet the Program requirements and the State and Federal Child Labor Law requirements with respect to age and working hours.
All eligible cooperative education and internship high school students are required to complete an online application in the Career Opportunities System and self-nominate to the Co-op/Intern Program posting. Interested students must also submit the Academic Credit Agreement form and an unofficial copy of their transcripts to the Co-op/Intern Program Coordinator. The Academic Credit Agreement form must be signed by a counselor, advisor or cooperative education coordinator at their respective educational institution.
International students enrolled in Kentucky schools must be in the country legally with an educational visa. The J-1 visa for academic purposes is for exchange students in high school. If the J-1 visa has expired, the high school student is no longer eligible to participate in the Program.
The documents must be mailed to: Co-op/Intern Coordinator, Personnel Cabinet, State Office Building, 1st Floor, 501 High Street, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601. The documents will be reviewed to insure all requirements are met before students are placed in the Program.
High school student applications may be requested from the Program's database. However, the agency can also find the applicant. If an agency finds an applicant, please direct the student to complete an online application in the Career Opportunities System and self- nominate to the Co-op/Intern Program posting. Students must also submit the Academic Credit Agreement form and an unofficial copy of their transcripts to the Co-op/Intern Program Coordinator.
On occasion, educational administrators request exceptions from the 2.5 GPA requirement when the GPA is less than 2.5. The request is indicated on the Credit Agreement form and requires the signature of a counselor, advisor or cooperative education and internship coordinator. It is not required that the agency hire the high school student; however, the educational institution has determined that if placed, the student would benefit from the on-the-job experience.
When hiring students, it may be necessary to request the Governor's Office of Policy and Management to adjust the interim caps to accommodate the hiring of students. All students are hired as non-merit employees and coded as interim. The job classification is Co-op/Intern (9901) at pay grade 48 (see attached schedule).
Some educational institutions provide extended academic credit to students who work across semesters. For high school students to benefit from extended credit:
- The student must be placed in a regular summer employment position at the end of the co-op/intern placement semester,
- Occupy a regular summer employment position before co-op/intern placement semester.
Agencies have an option to keep students across semesters whenever possible. A record of academic credit must be on file. If the high school student needs documentation for the educational institution, he or she may need a copy of the P-1 indicating a continuation of employment.
P-1 Processing
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All high school students are hired as non-merit employees and coded as H for item #28 on the P-1 and item #29 should be recorded as an I. The H-I code allows them to work in this capacity and be paid hourly. These new codes were effective May 16, 2001 and the P-1's were automatically generated. The co-op/interns are counted in the interim cap.
When eligible students (those who have not graduated or are seeking formal higher education) are carried over into the summer months, a P-1 to resign as co-op/intern (Class Code 9901) is required in order to appoint the student to a full-time (interim) position.
When the school semester resumes, a P-1 to resign and appoint as a co-op/intern (Class Code 9901) is required. High school students cannot be co-op/intern students during the summer. The student must be enrolled and participating in school, during the school semester in order to participate in the program. High school students can be hired as regular summer employees.
A report can be requested by the agency from the Coordinator's Office to secure database information to monitor the graduation date, which is an indicator of ineligibility. If a student progresses to a higher degree program, it is the student's responsibility to obtain a new program supplement form signed by the appropriate staff at the new educational institution and provide a copy to the agency and the Co-op/Intern Coordinator.
Salary
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A salary range guide for co-op/interns is provided and incorporated in the Program Policies. Students are assigned to pay grade 48 in Level I. Salary ranges or adjustments are not determined by the student's educational classification (i.e. freshmen, sophomore, junior or senior) or the semester before or during graduation. It is the agency's responsibility to insure fairness and proper placement in the salary range. Any corrections or changes to salary can be generated by a salary change P-1.
Benefits
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A Co-op/Intern shall receive holiday pay for the hours the employee is scheduled to work. If the student is scheduled to work four (4) hours, he or she will receive four (4) hours of holiday pay (Reference Personnel Memo 99-14 (PDF - 46 KB), December 13, 1999). A student shall receive overtime for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek.
Removals
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Every effort should be made to terminate a student at the end of a semester. This will allow the student to obtain academic credit. Resignations and terminations should be processed as regular personnel actions. Students may be unaware that termination may happen before the semester ends.
A reduction in work hours may be required due to the student's change in class schedule or if the Administrator at the educational institution finds a more suitable placement for the student. However, it is the students' responsibility to properly resign from his or her position with proper notice. A termination letter must be issued if the student abandons his or her position.
The educational institution may remove a student from the Program. The Coordinator's office should be notified and is responsible for notifying the student and employing agency. Sometimes students are removed before they are placed with an agency.
A student is no longer eligible to participate in the program after graduation. If the student is seeking higher education, it is the students' responsibility to secure the one page program supplement form from the new educational institution. A new application is not required. After receiving updated forms, the Coordinator's office will up-date the file in the database. If up-dated educational and academic credit work requirements are needed, information can be requested from the Coordinator's office.
Monitoring and Reporting
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It is the responsibility of the Coordinator's Office to monitor the Program and make reports available to the agencies and educational institutions. The Personnel Cabinet, Office of the Secretary implemented a new database system for the Program in April, 2001.
Status reports on student data are available upon request from the Coordinator's Office. It is possible to request special reports particular to an agency's need. Various queries are also available such as high school students, who are seniors and who are willing to work in Franklin, Fayette and Jefferson counties.
When educational institution requirements, personnel processing or benefits change, the administrative procedure document will be revised and the appropriate date for changes will be indicated. For example, a new salary schedule for co-op/interns (pay grade 48, Level I) will be effective May 1, 2004.
Recruitment
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Efforts to increase the applicant pool for the Program are made on an on-going basis. The Coordinator's office should participate in recruitment and outreach programs, form partnerships with other agencies and work with educational institutions for eligible students.
Salary Range Guide (Effective May 1, 2004)
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Pay Grade: 48
| $5.749 - $7.616 per hour or $934.22 - $1237.60 per month |
Level I |
High School |
| $6.955 - $9.389 per hour or $1130.20 - $1525.72 per month |
Level II |
Undergraduate with majors which are not major recruiting problems. Examples: Office Administration, English, Journalism, Marketing, History and Public Administration. |
| $8.450 - $11.355 per hour or $1367.44 - $1845.20 per month |
Level III |
Graduate students, Undergraduate students with majors which are frequently difficult to recruit. Examples: Criminal Justice, Wildlife Biology, Agriculture, Mining Technology, Engineering, Law, Computer Science and Chemistry. |
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