Twice a year, Red Argyle welcomes students from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to learn the Salesforce platform and contribute directly to client projects. We kicked off the co-op program at Red Argyle in 2017, and to date, we’ve had over 40 students (we call them co-ops) in the program.
The momentum of the co-op program keeps us striving to evolve the program and our company. The 2022 Spring session was the largest group of students to join us, with a whopping fifteen co-ops. That exceeds our previous record of ten co-ops from last year!
Great Lessons = A Better World!
During their six-month, double-block term, co-ops are trained as active team members collaborating alongside other Argylers in an agile environment.
We’ve said it before and stick to the concept that we don’t waste co-ops’ time. Instead, we value their good work on real customer projects and support their personal growth. Why? Because co-ops are just as valuable as our permanent team members (many stay after graduation).
More Salesforce talent makes the world a better place. True!
We encourage and support all employees and co-ops to pursue Salesforce training and certifications. If they want to move forward in the Salesforce space, awesome. If not, that’s cool, too.
We’re happy to help people grow, extending beyond certifications and training. At Red Argyle, ultimate growth is aspiring to be transparent, articulate, and purposeful in life. Because every learner becomes a teacher, that’s the foundation of impacting the world.
Alex Maroselli, VP of Engineering at Red Argyle, commented, “Our co-op program is one of Red Argyle’s greatest successes. We help some of the best and brightest minds grow, and we’ve also seen an immediate impact on our innovation. The program has exceeded our wildest expectations, and we’re excited to see it continue to prosper.”
Expanding Co-op Specializations
At the start of the co-op program, Red Argyle focused on recruiting Developer Co-ops–we now call them Engineers. Fast forward to today, we hire more roles such as UX Designers, QA Analysts, and Business Analysts.
Increasing Innovation
Has our mindset about the program changed? Yes!
When we started the co-op program with RIT, we jumped at the opportunity to work with one of the top universities in the country to help brilliant students grow their skills and potentially increase the Salesforce talent pool. Admittedly, that might have been a little shortsighted on our part.
We live to be curious and tenacious (these are our favorite words around here). So when students in the program come to us with new ideas, we increase our innovation and delivery of top-notch work.
Looking Ahead
Onward and upward! We’re excited about the future, and the co-op program is a part of that feeling. In true Red Argyle fashion, all hands are on deck as Argylers continue building the co-op curriculum and experience. As a result, we get to amplify visions for our customers and all Argylers.