A report on a university-wide internship scheme in higher education

Abstract

Internships in firms are becoming more widespread, either as an integral part of higher education courses, (ranging from engineering to accounting and social work), or are sought out by students themselves. This paper reports on a four-year period (2010-2013) of internship practice at a technological university on the Greek island of Crete – where internships are a compulsory part of undergraduate courses – and analyses the experiential-learning process as experienced by the students, academics and business managers. The particular internship programmes are described in terms of goals and procedures regarding employment conditions and assesses the students, employers and the process itself through questionnaires. Finally, recommendations are made for the future of internship programmes based on this assessment so as to benefit all stakeholders.