Co-op Program Continues to Thrive

For more than 30 years, DFC has worked with local colleges and universities to cultivate new generations of employees

Ryan Hellyer graduated from Purdue University in the spring with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and this achievement might be best attributed to the maxim, “learning by doing.” That's because Ryan earned his degree while enrolled in Delta Faucet Company’s five-term Product Engineering Co-op Program.

“I alternated between going to school for a semester and working here for a semester,” says Ryan, who is now a value management engineer at DFC’s global headquarters in Indianapolis. “The program made my four-year degree take five years, but I was able to gain almost two years of work experience.”

The Co-op Program, which DFC initiated more than 30 years ago with engineering students, has grown exponentially over the years.

“We have done Co-ops within our industrial design team and product engineer team the longest,” says Jennifer Peller, a DFC human resource representative who has worked at the Company for over four years. “We have expanded to include the advanced manufacturing teams and continuous improvement teams in the manufacturing locations.”

An Invaluable Education

The Co-op Program, which started at Purdue University, can be anywhere from three to five sessions, meaning that students who participate come to DFC every other semester to work full time at 40 hours a week.

One of Ryan’s work terms—each of which lasted four months—was at the Greensburg manufacturing location, where he was able to do continuous improvement activities like Kata and Kaizen projects.

“I feel that getting to see the manufacturing side of the business really helped make me a better engineer because I was able to see how things were actually done,” he says. “It’s one thing to design or change a part. It’s another thing to do so when you understand its manufacturing process.”

Ryan’s four other terms were spent in Indianapolis, where he was hired as a full-time employee when he graduated last spring.

“I was exposed to many different aspects of the department,” he says. “I was able to work on testing products in the lab, CAD projects for new and existing products, value management design and costing activities, and regulatory compliance projects. Most of my projects were in support of full-time engineers, so I was able to do meaningful work while receiving feedback and mentorship.”

Do you know a student who might be a good fit as a Co-op or intern at DFC? We typically recruit for Co-op roles each spring and intern roles each fall and post them here.