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Engineering Co-op
Technical Operations
Gain a competitive edge
Northwest Airlines' Cooperative Education Program (co-op) offers you an opportunity to apply your educational knowledge to real-world, practical engineering work in our operations. A co-op also provides you with the opportunity to become familiar with Northwest Airlines, the airline industry, numerous manufacturers and vendors, in addition to Northwest Airlines' corporate culture, work style and organization. The co-op program is an important recruiting channel for Northwest Airlines because it helps management identify high-potential prospective candidates for employment.
More than an internship
Whether you spend two work periods or several more with us, when you join our team as a co-op you'll become a valued part of our business. You'll be given real work, with tangible benefits and measurable results. At the same time you'll have the opportunity to learn about and help solve some of the most challenging issues that impact our operations.
As a co-op, you would be enrolled in an undergraduate program at an accredited university pursuing an engineering degree. Students typically begin the co-op program after their freshman year and work a minimum of two work periods (rotations) with many students working three or four rotations before graduating. Rotation lengths vary and are determined by your school calendar. Rotations usually alternate semesters/quarters between working full-time and attending school. Depending on your interest, you can also request to have two combined rotations (i.e. summer plus the fall semester), which are considered on a case-by-case basis.
The co-op program
Once you are working as a co-op, you will be supervised by an engineering manager and also teamed with an experienced engineer-mentor who will provide orientation, training, guidance and support, while allowing you an appropriate degree of autonomy in your work. You will follow an individual work plan and will be assigned a project(s) plus other tasks that will challenge your skills while completing work on department objectives.
As part of your co-op experience, you'll have the opportunity for hands on work on aircraft and interaction with aircraft maintenance technicians while working on projects or assignments. In addition, you're able to be assigned to work some shifts with technicians on the floor working on aircraft, engines, components, or in shops (e.g. composite, sheet metal, avionics or electrical shops) with the production team to understand how these engineering customers do their business. You will also have tours or visits to other areas of the company such as the pilot training center and flight simulators, Systems Operation Control, Airport Operations, and the engine test cell.
Typical responsibilities
- Provide engineering analysis of aircraft manufacturers service bulletins for possible incorporation on our aircraft
- Optimize maintenance procedures for human factors and efficiency
- Design repairs and modifications that improve aircraft reliability and decrease weight
- Assist staff engineers with analysis and resolution of reliability and operational issues
- Work with aircraft maintenance technicians to troubleshoot particularly difficult problems
- Process changes to maintenance documentation and maintenance programs
- Analyze related maintenance data to identify trends and recommend improvements to maintenance programs or procedures
- Work with internal and external vendors/manufacturers to resolve technical issues
Qualifications
- Candidates must be a current undergraduate student pursuing an Engineering degree (Mechanical, Aerospace, Industrial, Civil, or Electrical Engineering)
- Candidates are preferred to be in their sophomore or junior year
- A GPA of 2.8/4.0 or higher is required
- Must be willing to work for two or more quarter/semester rotations
- Must be willing to relocate and obtain housing in the Minneapolis area during each rotation at own expense
- Must be able to successfully pass a pre-placement background check and drug test
- Must be a U.S. citizen or legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship
Compensation/Benefits
You will be offered a competitive starting base wage of $14 per hour with planned increases to a maximum of $17 per hour. You'll also receive one round trip travel pass every thirty days for yourself, spouse, and children, if applicable, throughout the Northwest Airlines domestic system, Canada and Mexico. If you need to fly in order to get to Minneapolis for your co-op, Northwest Airlines will arrange for your travel from school or home to Minneapolis.2008 Co-op Recruitment Calendar
Please check back in January for future openings.
Undergraduate Internship
Flight Operations Northwest Airlines Flight Operations currently has a number of unpaid internships available at our Operations Training Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The Flight Operations internship is designed for students pursuing a career as a commercial airline pilot. To qualify, students must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program as a junior or senior, majoring in aviation or aeronautical science. In addition, students must earn college credit for their internship.
As a Flight Operations intern, students learn valuable, firsthand information about the operations of a major carrier. Most interns will have the opportunity to attend ground school, jumpseat, and spend time in a full flight simulator. In addition, the intern will earn one space available ticket for every 30 days of work. To learn more about the Flight Operations Internship and to receive an application packet, contact Career Services at your college.
2008 Undergraduate Internship Recruitment Calendar
