Alumnus Builds Thriving Program for Co-ops at Jacobs
Brian Briselli, E’11, MS’15, civil engineering, developed a successful program for co-ops for the Northeast region of Jacobs, an international engineering services firm, which provides mentoring, professional development, and educational opportunities.
Shortly after Brian Briselli, E’11, MS’15, civil engineering, joined Jacobs, an international engineering full-services corporation in 2011, he took a leadership role in the company’s co-op and internship program for the Boston office.
He created a robust program for the New England region of the company, which is headquartered in Dallas. The program now includes mentoring, lunch-and-learn programs, downloadable Q&A recordings with company experts, and monthly networking meetings. Briselli, whose primary role is a structural engineer and project manager, handles the recruitment across the region and provides daily management in Boston.
While Briselli says there is a financial incentive in hiring co-ops, the program is ultimately about learning.
“Jacobs may hire them at a slightly lesser rate, but we give them extra care and understanding to grow them and make sure they can mature as professionals,” Briselli says.” By the time they’re getting toward the end of their time with us, they are about as skilled as anyone fresh out of school.”
Additionally, Jacobs’ hiring process benefits by being able to draw from the co-op and intern talent pool. In these circumstances, “we don’t have to do any of the extra leg work with onboarding or figuring out what they’re like and how they’d work with us,” Briselli says. “It’s like we’re off to the races and that’s a great perk.”
Part of Briselli’s incentive to run the program is his own co-op experiences at Jacobs. He completed two co-ops at the firm was hired for a full-time job upon graduation. “I learned a lot about just how to work in an office, how to interact with people, how to take some of the things I was learning at school and applying them in an industry office setting,” Briselli says. “I came out of that really feeling great about things.”
Inspiration also comes from the Jacobs’ corporate office, which provides an onboarding program template for students and new hires that can be used across the organization. “I have taken the national program and adapted it with a regional focus,” Briselli says.
“I like doing my own extra check-ins with students, whether it’s monthly or weekly,” says Briselli, who enjoys helping co-ops find new work assignments or offering suggestions for productive conversations with co-workers.
Co-ops report to either their hiring manager or a project manager, Briselli says, and when possible, he assigns a junior staff person to serve as a peer mentor. “There are a lot of support levels,” Briselli says. “The main thing is they all have opportunities for growth,” he adds.
Jacobs schedules reviews with students at the co-op session midpoint and again as it is concluding, when managers provide “a lot of constructive feedback,” Briselli says. “If they did a really great job and we are interested to have them back, we will discuss it then.”
Through the lunch-and-learn program and Q&As, co-ops are exposed to industry experts and company executives. Often, the topic will be suggested by co-ops or interns and Briselli will assemble a panel from the region. Topics have included sustainability and other environmental impact issues. It is also common for co-ops to ask the panel members to share career advice.
At monthly co-op and intern meetings, which are held virtually, attendees are offered networking time, which is also an opportunity for Briselli and other staff to observe how student workers interact.
He says the Northeastern co-ops bring a level of professionalism to their work that stands apart from other students. “They know how to answer questions, and how to deal with deadlines, and how to work with us on a range of things,” Briselli says.
Additionally, the six-month co-op period benefits both the students and the company. “With that amount of time, they can really hit their stride,” Briselli says.
The structural engineering team hires “at least two co-ops almost every cycle,” Briselli says. It can be as many as four, depending on the number of projects.
He also stays in regular contact with his peers throughout New England to help with recruiting efforts. “I’m constantly talking with all the other engineering disciplines, and the architecture, design teams we have,” Briselli says, adding that on average the region has upwards of 10 student workers at any given time, the majority of which are from Northeastern.
“It’s really been a positive experience to see where the program has grown,” Briselli says. “We grew it out of the structural engineering group to be what it is for the rest of the region. It’s really a great, developed program now.”