Cooperative education or "co-op" is a program spearheaded (though not invented) by Northeastern University as a practical alternative to internships. In the generally accepted nomenclature, a co-op differs from an internship in that a co-op is paid a nominal market wage and typically will hold an actual titled (usually junior) position at a target employer, meant to become familiar with common tasks related to an industry. In contrast an internship is a non-paid and often non-titled (other than "intern") work experience, meant to become familiar with an industry in a secondary fashion. In practice, the distinction is not always this great; for example, internships sometimes do get paid and do take on basic "real" work.