Internships help students in higher education gain valuable working experience and harness career readiness skills that make job placement easier after graduation.
As a college or university, it is essential to assess internship readiness and implement new strategies to support students in these positions. Evaluating preparedness helps your institution ensure its learners feel adequately suited for professional responsibilities.
We are breaking down ways to gauge whether or not a learner is internship-ready and how higher education institutions can help students prosper in a working environment.
Internship programs are a valuable part of higher education. They offer students temporary positions that help them gain hands-on experience they don’t get in the classroom. As an intern, students get to test the waters of the real world and take their academic studies to the next level.
Interning can be highly advantageous for college and university students looking to get their foot in the door. These roles are often similar to the lower-level positions at an employer, and learners can gain practical professional experience that can help them secure a paid job after graduation, something that can be difficult for individuals without previous experience in a specific field.
Internships teach students about common workplace norms and proper professional etiquette. They help students practice engagement, punctuality, and productivity — all skills needed to prepare them for jobs after graduation. Being an intern can help individuals determine if a particular job, industry, or discipline is right for them. Having hands-on experience can change how a person feels about their future in that career, and it can be highly useful for finding a suitable career path.
At some higher education institutions, interning is a must for degree attainment. Students often have to partake in one of these positions for a certain amount of time to fulfill their graduation requirements.
Even if an apprenticeship is not a necessity for getting their diploma, students can use these opportunities to establish meaningful connections with other professionals. Networking is a massive perk of working an internship and can increase the likelihood of finding employment after getting a degree. Some employers will hire interns for paid positions if they’ve done a good job throughout the program.
College students should understand both the importance of internships and being ready for one of these positions. Locking down a role as an intern can be challenging for many students. A few key reasons why readiness is essential include:
Internship readiness will help students get the positions they are gunning for and reap the many professional benefits of participating in these programs.
In addition to helping students gain valuable working experience and thrive in an internship role, your higher education institution should also pay attention to internship readiness for the sake of your relationship with employers. How your students behave and perform in these roles can be a reflection of your college or university. Preparing students is a key part of fostering a positive reputation with the businesses and organizations that your students want to work for in the future.
Your higher education institution has a responsibility to support career readiness initiatives and help students get their footing in the employment world.
Explore the key considerations for assessing if a student is adequately prepared to flourish in an internship position:
One indicator of internship readiness is academic performance. College tends to be a massive adjustment for learners. Between managing the workload from each course, going to class, and balancing a busy schedule, students have a lot on their plates. Introducing an internship into the mix can add more responsibility and weight on a person’s shoulders.
Academic advisors should communicate and work with students before they apply for an apprenticeship. Look at the student’s grades and performance history. Someone who is actively engaged in class, earns high scores, and keeps a positive attendance record likely has the self-discipline and management skills to thrive in an internship.
Academic performance can also be a sign that a student possesses the foundational understanding of the core concepts needed to participate in certain positions. For example, programs that require high-level technical knowledge, such as a position for a research lab or graphic design agency, may want interns who already know how to use the basic tools. Another important factor to keep in mind is whether the student can continue to perform at the desired level while participating in the internship program.
Good communication is an integral part of securing an internship. Students need to understand how to interact appropriately and professionally with their supervisors and colleagues. From the first impression, employers need to know that the interns they hire can collaborate and have meaningful interactions with others.
Assess if a student’s communication skills are internship-ready by asking some important questions:
Communication skills are especially valuable for an apprenticeship because they allow students to build positive working relationships. The connections formed through these programs can lead to beneficial mentorship opportunities and future job recommendations.
Some internships also require participants to contribute to the team by sharing their insights, presenting research findings, or pitching ideas. Strong communicators are more compelling and engaging, which makes them more desirable to potential employers.
A student’s understanding of how to behave and interact in a work setting directly correlates with how prepared they are for the responsibility of an apprenticeship. A strong sense of professionalism indicates important qualities, like maturity and reliability, to potential employers.
Explore some of the ways professionalism is essential to internship readiness:
Another important aspect of internship readiness is mastering the first impression. Students looking to enter the working world must understand how crucial their initial interactions with a prospective employer are. They have a small window of opportunity to demonstrate why they are right for the role, and one wrong move can compromise their chances of getting hired. For instance, showing up in sweats to an interview at a law office may not leave the most favorable impression.
Students have a few chances to exhibit their internship readiness with potential employers, including writing their resumes, participating in interviews, and gathering references. Professionalism and first impressions go hand-in-hand. Anyone seeking an apprenticeship position should consider how the following can help or hurt their chances of securing a great job:
Another important aspect of internship readiness is understanding the differences between soft and hard skills and which are necessary to prosper for a specific program. Soft skills encompass personal characteristics that help an individual thrive in a professional setting. These may include:
Hard skills refer to technical expertise or experience that students might need to perform certain job functions as part of their internship. These may include having formal training on a software solution or experience with specific chemicals in a laboratory.
Students must harness both soft and hard skills to be a well-rounded applicant. Employers want to know that the people they introduce to their business or organization are a good fit, both in terms of personal attributes and technical expertise.
A facet of internship readiness higher education institutions often overlook is a student’s ability to effectively manage their time. We’ve mentioned the importance of good punctuality and completing work by its due date. In addition to these factors, students must understand how to organize their schedules to balance all their responsibilities without overburdening themselves or burning out. Good time management skills are integral to a successful internship experience.
College students must look at their course load, commute, work obligations (outside of an internship), social life, and extracurricular activities. Someone booked from the time they wake up until they go to sleep is likely not in a position to succeed as an intern. When assessing internship readiness, be sure to encourage students to be honest with themselves about their time management skills and current commitments.
Some key factors of good time management include:
With so many aspects of internship readiness to juggle and monitor, higher education institutions may struggle to adequately assess whether or not students have the skills, resources, and guidance to thrive. By establishing an internship readiness assessment, you can streamline the entire process.
Your institution can go about implementing these assessments in a few different ways. First, you could have students complete self-assessments where they explore internship readiness criteria and gauge their personal preparedness. You could also have academic advisors or student support staff conduct assessments through a conversation with students considering applying for an internship role. Either way, your institution should seek to help students determine if they are ready for the responsibility of an internship, or if they need to take steps to become more prepared for a future role.
With the right assessment software, gauging internship readiness is easier and more manageable than ever. Your institution can collect meaningful data to drive decision-making and improve internship resources for students.
If your higher education institution is looking to improve student outcomes and prepare learners for the future of work, turn to the solutions from Watermark. With Watermark Student Success & Engagement, your college or university has access to valuable, actionable insights needed to boost retention rates and support degree attainment efforts.
Watermark is here to help your institution monitor student performance, flag at-risk individuals, and validate findings to inform intervention strategies. Supporting your students is simple with the help of our solutions.
Request a demo of the higher education software available from Watermark to get started today.
