The Student Career Experience Program (SCEP), commonly known as Co-op, gives area college students an opportunity to earn money while learning about their chosen careers through hands-on experience.

Naval Aviation Depot (NADEP) Cherry Point normally hires about 75 students per year into the numerous trades that participate in the program. Applications are sought annually in March and August, and eligible applicants are scheduled for interviews in May and October. Students accepted into the program receive physicals and begin working in August or January. In addition to gaining valuable paid work experience, they are also eligible for pay increases, sick and annual leave, and health and life insurance coverage. They may also participate in retirement and thrift savings plans.

Selectees enter the program with an excepted appointment at a beginning pay rate of either WG-04 or GS-03. They may work part-time or full-time while attending school, depending on their course schedules, and will be carried on leave-without-pay status when attending school full-time. Upon successful completion of the program, they may be converted either to a career position or an apprentice in the Apprentice Program. Pay for the target positions will vary by trade.

To be eligible to apply, prospective students must be enrolled in a field of study related to the assigned work and be recommended by a participating community college. The participating community colleges are Beaufort, Carteret, Coastal Carolina, Craven, Lenoir, Pamlico, Pitt, and Wayne. Students must have completed a minimum of 30 semester hours toward an approved degree prior to entry, be in good academic standing, meet security and fitness requirements, and be a United States citizen. Approved fields of study include Associate of Applied Science programs in technical or occupational areas related to the recruited NADEP trades. These majors vary among the eight colleges.

Photo Caption: As part of their introduction to the Co-op Program, area college students tour the NADEP Cherry Point H-53 Hangar in Building 137. (Photo by Dykie Whitfield)