Employee and Industry Partners
What's In It for Your Business?
- Real Project Output: Students deliver on your business challenges -work your team actually needs done.
- Low-Risk Talent Pipeline: Evaluate future employees before committing to a hire. CO-WIL is the most affordable audition for Colorado's emerging workforce.
- Fresh Perspectives: Students bring current knowledge, diverse viewpoints, and unfiltered creativity — often spotting what your team is too close to see.
- Community Investment: Strengthen Colorado's workforce and build your campus brand. All Colorado businesses and industries are welcome!
- Low Risk – Fully Subsidized: Your investment, time and mentorship — your ROI is real work outcomes and talent access.
How It Works
CO-WIL uses Riipen, a purpose-built platform connecting your business to student teams at Colorado colleges and universities. The process is designed to protect your time while delivering real outcomes.
- Create Your Employer Profile
Sign up on Riipen to access the Marketplace, explore opportunities, and connect with post-secondary institutions and learners.
- Post a Project
Define your business challenge using Riipen’s large selection of project templates or AI project generator to help frame a project in seconds.
- Find the Right Experience
Browse and request to match with relevant experiences, or work with the Riipen team to identify the best fit based on your goals, timeline, and desired level of engagement.
- Engage & Give Feedback
Connect with students at key milestones, answer questions, and provide feedback through the platform. Everything is organized in one place.
- Receive Final Deliverables
Students present their work at the end of the project period. You receive real outputs — and potentially identify future talent worth hiring.
Time Commitment — We Respect Your Time
| 6-8 Weeks | 1-2 hours/week | 3 key touchpoint | ~1 hour |
|---|---|---|---|
Project duration, aligned to the academic semester | verage employer time for feedback, check-ins, and platform communication | Project kickoff, midpoint check-in, and final presentation | To create your Riipen profile and post your first project brief |
Roles & Expectations
A successful CO-WIL partnership is built on clear expectations from day one.
| Your Role as an Employer | What CO-WIL and Riipen Provide |
|---|---|
| Write a Clear Project Brief Describe the challenge, desired outcomes, and any data or materials students can access. | Project Brief Templates Riipen provides guided templates, so your brief is set up for student success from the start. |
| Be Responsive on the Platform Reply to student questions within 2–3 business days. Faculty help manage student expectations alongside you. | Faculty Oversight A course instructor supervises all student work, manages timelines, and ensures deliverable quality. |
| Provide Meaningful Feedback Students grow when they receive honest, constructive input. Your real-world perspective is your value- | CO-WIL Support Team Colorado Department of Higher Education staff are available throughout the pilot to support employer partners. |
| Attend the Final Presentation Plan for a 30–60-minute final presentation (virtual or in-person) where students present their deliverables. | Platform Tools & Matching Riipen handles project matching, communication, file sharing, and milestone tracking — all in one place. |
| Be Available for Weekly or regular touchpoints as needed | Two-Way Information Flow & Communication – you know exactly what is happening along the way to the final deliverable |
Getting Started on Riipen
CO-WIL runs on Riipen — a trusted platform connecting businesses and colleges across North America. Getting started takes about one hour, and our team is here every step of the way.
Step 1 — Create a free employer account on Riipen using your business email.
Step 2 — Post a project brief describing the work challenge you need solved.
Step 3 — Get matched – Filter to ensure you are matched to a class at a Colorado college or university.
Step 4 — Receive deliverables at the end of the semester — and, optionally, identify your next hire.
CO-WIL Employers - Frequently Asked Questions
- What kinds of projects work best?
Projects with a defined business challenge and a tangible deliverable work best. Examples include competitive market analysis, social media strategy, product or service concept development, business process mapping, financial modeling, community needs assessments, AI, and data visualization. If you're unsure whether your idea is a fit, reach out — we'll help you scope it.
- Do I need to pay students?
Our recommendation is YES – and there is no payment obligation to the student or to CO-WIL. Students participate through their coursework and earn academic credit; it's a class-embedded experience, not an internship.
That said, we strongly encourage employers to compensate students for their time whenever possible, even a modest stipend. Fair pay for real work is core to what makes work-integrated learning sustainable and equitable. It signals to students that their contribution has value beyond a grade. If your project is matched with a CO-WIL participating school, students will receive a stipend for successful completion of your project. We would ask employers to consider contributing to it.
- What if a student team's work isn't what I expected?
Faculty are actively involved in quality oversight throughout the project. If you have concerns at any milestone, communicate with them through Riipen — instructors and CO-WIL staff are available to help course-correct. Your mid-project feedback is valuable, not disruptive.
- Can I post more than one project?
Absolutely, and we encourage it. Employers with multiple departments or challenges can post several projects and be matched with different student teams across the pilot cohort.
- Is this only for large businesses?
Not at all. CO-WIL actively welcomes small businesses and minority-owned businesses. Experiential learning partnerships can be especially high-impact for smaller organizations that benefit most from flexible, project-based talent access.
- What is CO-WIL?
CO-WIL — Colorado Work-Integrated Learning — is Colorado's first statewide three-year pilot program for connecting students at public colleges and universities with real-world work experiences during their academic studies. It is administered by the Colorado Department of Higher Education and fully funded with philanthropic dollars from Ascendium Education Group and Strada Education Foundation,