April 5, 2023

Think back to when you were in high school. Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up? After you took your last steps through your school halls, where did you hope your future would take you next?

For the past four decades, Northern Trust has invited high school students to re-envision what’s possible through a cooperative work study program.

Better known as the co-op, the program’s goal is to provide mentorship and real-world training while exposing students to who we are as a company and what we do for our clients.

Broadening the opportunity

Northern Trust is committed to supporting those who have been marginalized with more opportunities to achieve long-term financial success.

Studies show that when essential human needs are met, benchmarks of long-term financial success—career opportunities, savings and home ownership—rise substantially, and paths to improved opportunity become more accessible. In support of those paths, Northern Trust is deploying a long-term community investment strategy designed to drive individual advancement and broader wealth creation. We are focusing our resources, capabilities and business expertise on four key areas of fundamental impact that—when strengthened from the start—enrich our communities and the lives of everyone in them.

As part of this approach, in partnership with Urban Alliance, we recently welcomed our most recent cohort of students from across the city of Chicago.

The students work part time at Northern Trust Monday through Thursday and full time through July after the school year ends. Prepared with pre-coursework in subjects such as banking, interpersonal communication, ethics and being your authentic self at work, the students are already contributing in meaningful ways to the business. Students are fully immersed in life at Northern Trust while they are with us.

The program is designed to provide participants with an experience that will last a lifetime, and along the way many Northern Trust employees contribute to these students’ experiences. 

At the opening kick-off for the program, Northern Trust President and CEO Mike O’Grady shared his own experience as an intern in an insurance agency where his dad worked and how much value he saw in Northern Trust’s co-op program.

Rhonda Watts, HR business partner and co-op project lead, also spoke to the importance of the program.

"Growing up, we often gravitate to jobs based on what we see in our community, and family. The high school co-op program can have a significant impact by exposing students to different careers and opportunities. I am honored to have the opportunity to work with a fantastic team to lead this program and allow our interns exposure to financial services."

Back to the Office

The 2023 co-op student class is the first to be back in Northern Trust offices after the pandemic.

During the past two years, we continued to support our high school interns by having them work with non-profits who needed extra assistance as they navigated the challenging time.

While the new cohort’s responsibilities are starting to ramp up, past co-op students have been growing in their Northern Trust careers for a quarter century or more!

We’ll be sharing some of their career advice in an upcoming article, so stay tuned to hear from them about their lessons learned and words of advice.

Early Career Talent

At Northern Trust, we make a promise to all of our early-career talent. They will get the opportunity to work on important projects, network with leaders and develop skills to

In addition to our North American co-op program, several other Northern Trust offices in EMEA and APAC also offer paid apprenticeships and internships as an early-career opportunity for students.

From day one, all employees are essential. Our co-op students have the opportunity to develop their skills by working on important projects, expand their networks by engaging with fellow colleagues and clients, and jumpstart their careers and prepare for a bright future.

At Northern Trust, we empower our co-op students to learn today so they can lead tomorrow.

Careers at Northern Trust

Learn more about career opportunities at Northern Trust.