LOWELL — UMass Lowell has spent years steadily growing its cooperative education options for students to get real-world experience in a job relevant to their degree, and now UML will guide other state universities as they begin offering their own work-based learning programs.
On Monday morning, with UML hosting, state officials and the presidents of three state universities announced the Massachusetts Cooperative Education Initiative to expand co-ops for higher education students.
The expansion comes in the form of a pilot initiative of the state Department of Higher Education’s Innovation Hub, which is awarding $20,000 each to Bridgewater State University, Framingham State University and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) for regional co-op partnerships set to launch in the fall 2026 semester.
“In Massachusetts, a college degree should come with real experience and a direct path to a good-paying job,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. “That’s why we’ve made historic investments in public education and set a goal of 100,000 apprenticeships over the next decade, and now we’re launching this initiative to expand co-ops and work-based learning so more students can build skills, earn a paycheck and graduate ready to succeed.”
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll was at the announcement Monday at UML, where she said Massachusetts “does transformational work” in education.
“People come from across the commonwealth and frankly across the country and across the world to come to schools in Massachusetts … As a proud public higher [education] grad myself, these are the folks who are going to be our future leaders in business, in industry, in government,” said Driscoll.
She said many students in higher education are working jobs “that may not be connected to what they want to do in life.” Driscoll referenced a conversation she recently had with a student where the student talked about working 30 hours a week in a job unrelated to her degree, just to survive to graduation.
“Imagine if we could put that kind of drive and hard work and ethics and ethos into actually having her work in a field that is connected to her degree, where those students are going to be able to go,” said Driscoll.
UML already offers co-op opportunities to its students, and with that institutional experience the university is being brought on to offer guidance to the other institutions. UML Chancellor Julie Chen said during the announcement that the challenge now is to scale these kinds of programs up and make them more common offerings for students. Part of the draw, Chen said, is that with these being paid co-ops by the partnering companies, higher education can be more affordable.
“In six months they make over $20,000. That more than covers their costs with all the other support for college in public higher [education],” said Chen.
Chen repeated a promise she often makes, that all UML students are guaranteed to have the opportunity for at least one paid internship or co-op experience as they obtain their degree.
“Cooperative education can be transformative for college students — providing invaluable work experience, creating connections that turn into good-paying jobs after graduation and making a college education more affordable,” Chen said in a statement later Monday. “We’re thrilled by the success of our co-op program at UMass Lowell, supported by partnerships with the Department of Higher Education and Axim Collaborative. We look forward to sharing the recipe for success we’re developing with colleagues across the Commonwealth so that other students will also experience the benefits of these programs.”
UML senior Aalia Kamthewala, who is seeking her biomedical engineering degree, spoke about her work with Insulet as part of her co-op through UML. Insulet develops the Omnipod, a wearable, disposable insulin pod.
“One of the things I learned from there was seeing all my classroom knowledge being applied and what was relevant and what wasn’t,” said Kamthewala.
Kamthewala said she had the opportunity to be a part of a team at the company, in which she was able to give her own input, develop her communication skills and learn a little bit about what she is, and is not, looking for in a career.
“I gave me clarity. It definitely helped me in what direction I want to take after graduation,” said Kamthewala.
Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega said at the announcement the partnership between the DHE and UML will “put us in a position to launch what is essentially an initiative to help move the needle forward on cooperative education.”
“We hope that with partnership and other institutions … we can really begin to move the needle on this work and truly elevate how this makes a difference in public education and our institutions,” said Ortega.
Education Secretary Steve Zrike touted the existing co-op programs, and said “hundreds of students are gaining practical and marketable skills while they are still in school.”
“Today’s announcement is about growing career-connected learning in a way that truly changes lives. I’m proud to be part of this robust experience and expansion across Massachusetts that will help our students earn, learn and launch successful careers well before they leave their institutions of higher learning,” said Zrike.
In a statement, Bridgewater State University President Frederick Clark said his institution “is focused on creating pathways to employment for all our students.
“The co-op pilot is attracting strong interest from students and faculty and builds on the many opportunities Bridgewater provides students to explore, prepare for and connect to career opportunities,” said Clark.
Framingham State University President Nancy Niemi said in a statement that “work-based learning has always been part of the fabric of public higher education.”
“At Framingham State, what is different now is that we are committed to ensuring that every student has access to a meaningful internship, co-op, or applied learning experience that complements their academic journey without delaying graduation,” said Niemi. “This initiative reflects what’s possible when higher education, businesses & non-profit organizations, and state leadership come together with a shared purpose.”
MassArt President Mary Grant said in a statement said the institution is “delighted that MassArt is a part of the creative thinking around this co-op pilot program to expand opportunities for hands-on experiential learning for our students.”
“We plan to engage our longtime partners and establish new partnerships to complement an art and design education that prepares students for a lifetime of possibilities,” said Grant.
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