The effectiveness of a university internship programme: Student perspectives of stakeholder roles and responsibilities

Authors

  • A. Zunaid
  • J.J. Turner
  • N. Jiang

Abstract

The background to this research is anincreased academic and practitioner discussion around graduate work readiness and the need for educational institutions to better prepare graduates for employment. Internships are widely regarded as an essential platform for students to gain the necessary work experience to enable a successful transition into employment, however not all internship programmes can engender the necessary employment skills in participating interns.This research aims to examine the effectiveness of an internship programme from the perspective of university interns, exploring their role and perceptions of employers and the university. Using a google survey with 146 interns and supported by intern focus groupsthis research reveals that students were suitably motivated to be active participants in their internship but would gain more from the experience if employers improved levels of mentorship and the university made improvements to the structure of the internship programme, levels of staff engagement and the support of career services.The research contributes to existing knowledge by examining interns’ perspectives of not only the internship programme itself but the role of the stakeholders, including a reflection on the students’ own motivation and engagement with the internship.

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Published

2020-01-04

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Section

Articles