GREEN: As the workload in the Green engineer’s office continued to grow as the city expanded, leaders figured out a way in 2012 to get more projects accomplished while saving thousands of dollars annually.
The answer: Hire University of Akron civil engineering students as co-op interns instead of additional professional engineers and consultants, which would cost far more.
Paul Pickett, the city engineer for 20 years, estimates the city saved $57,000 in 2015 by using students to help with engineering work.
“If we were to hire a full-time, entry-level engineer the salary would cost up to two times what a co-op student costs,” he said. “Then add to that a full-timer’s benefits.”
He said a consultant’s fees would be even higher.
Interns are being paid $12 to $15 an hour for their work.
Besides the three interns, Pickett’s department has five full-time staff members, including a second professional engineer, two engineering technicians for inspections, surveys and complaints plus an administrative assistant.
Interns Paul Ciocca, 22, of Green and Daniel Morgan, 21, of Mars, Pa., are in their fourth year at UA and third year as Green interns. Michael Spade, 20, of Crestline is in his third year of school and third semester as an intern.
The UA intern program requires a student to complete the first five semesters of study and then alternate a semester of paid employment in their major field with a semester of classroom study.
By graduation, the student has a degree but also has accumulated 12 or more months of work experience and, in many cases, seniority, retirement, vacation and other fringe benefits, according to the university.
“I love the way the program is run,” Ciocca said. “They [UA officials] do a great job helping us get out in the real world and find employers, who utilize us and all the different skills we bring to them.”
Added Morgan, “It’s really beneficial to us being able to learn from engineering professionals to help us further our careers, to show us how to be professional and show us a little about the civil engineering field.”
Pickett said the program is “invaluable in many ways” for his department and the city.
“We help the Service Department manage our infrastructure,” Pickett said. “Service has primary responsibility for maintaining our streets, sewers and parks, but we support them with the engineering behind all that,” he said. “When things need to be repaired or we build something new, we take their needs and turn it into an engineering project where you set goals, develop a budget and do a study, create a design and turn it into reality by letting a contract and then we oversee the construction. The interns work on all aspects of such a project.”
Spade said the co-op program “is a really good way to be exposed to that world, see what kinds of jobs are out there and what it entailed.
“You [become] really prepared for the job market, and you are learning basic skills that you need in order to excel so when we do go into a professional position we have the basic skills to get started.”