The Impact of Internship on Graduate Employability - Essay Example

Impact of Internship on Graduate Employability The Executive summary Internship is increasingly becoming essential. There are organizations with a policy of employing a certain percentage of their employees from their interns’ database. The labor market rates interns highly compared to those without any workplace experience. This calls for a reconsideration of undergraduate approach with regard to the importance of internship programs. Succeeding in the labor market requires adequate preparations. The skills necessary to prosper in the modern labor market call for much confidence and prior experiences in the same. This calls for quality internships to prepare undergraduates for the dynamics of the labor markets. In doing this, it is good to observe the some of the trends from those who go through internship and those who do not. Introduction The main purpose of the internship program is to give exposure on career field, occupation or industry. Internship can also be referred to any career related experience. It can range from community service to semester long assignment. This paper aims at looking the importance of internship and analyzing the trends gone through it and their place in the labor market. The aim of every graduate is to succeed in the labor market (Bossche & Gijselaers 2012). The preparations that go with this success become extremely crucial. This paper exposes the value of internship and explains why it should be taken as a vital ingredient for the success of undergraduates. Companies are increasingly valuing internship. During the experience, skills and knowledge are imparted (Bukaliya 2012). These skills apply to the future career. Internship should be treated like a professional job. It gives experiences and creates room for connections. Graduate labor market Internship refers to an opportunity to apply the knowledge gained from academic studies in a workplace setting. Internships are part of formal internship program. However, students can create their own internships. Forms internships include volunteer positions and research; it can also be a job during summer (Bukaliya 2012). Internship may pay or fail to. Sociologists are paying growing attention to the stratification of education at tertiary level. This is with regard to the difference between fields of study and labor market (Bukaliya 2012). The horizontal stratification is increasingly bearing direct impact to graduals in terms of employability of graduate, and how the labor market perceives them. Over the last few decades, there have been increased enrollments in tertiary education (Calvo 2011). This has contributed to increase in the number of degree holders. Emergence of studies relation to labor market also emerged. There have been immense empirical studies looking into relevance of graduates’ characteristics that affect their absorption into the labor market (Starger 2012). These studies estimate the mean effect of every post internship graduate qualifies elements. This is with regard to qualification in the labor market. Graduates enter into different labor markets. The level of preparations among the graduates also differs. The most conspicuous difference in this paper is with regard to participation in internship (Starger 2012). Some graduates must pass through internship while other fails to. This creates a difference in terms of approach and competence. There exists a tradeoff between the work experience during the university and the final graduation mark (Korn 2012). The transition to employment after graduation is also influenced by the duration of study. According to research, working during the university education creates the risk of dropping out or even delaying graduation (Sweitzer & King 2008). Those who work modestly overcome these disadvantages (McGuinness & Peter 2009). Research shows the graduates who had previous work experience during the internship tend to have more protection from unemployment compared to those who did not (McGuinness & Peter 2009). Employability of post internship and non internship graduates Previous work experience under internship is significant when it comes to reducing the levels of unemployment among graduates (Calvo 2011). However, it does not help when it come to being over qualified. Graduate qualification elements show the difference in association with regard to different labor markets. Internship or previous work experience reduces the risk of instability when it comes to entering the job market (Bukaliya 2012). Having accomplished marks reduces the risk of getting a poor job or a job that is not in line with career of choice. Good marks without internship can result to instability. The labor market demands experience and confidence, which are enhanced, during internship (McGuinness & Peter 2009). A case study in Italy showed that there exists a trade of between work experience during the internship and mere educational performance without internship. This trade off is extremely low. It suggests that there is a motivational effect that leads working students and studying workers to defeat the trade off. Employees attach more value on intern as opposed to non intern job seekers (Calvo 2011). Critics question the fairness of the system especially when students cannot afford a summer of unpaid internship. 58 per cent of companies in the United States of America reported to hire their interns to full time positions. This represented a 53 per cent rise from the previous year. This is according to a research by the national association of college and employers in the United States (Robelet 2009). Some specific cases Some of the most successful corporations have designed and structured their full time employment strategy to include and emphasize on the importance of university internship and workplace training programs. Companies like the PWC hire thousand of interns annually and employ graduates from that pool. This gives them the chance to investigate the aptitudes they desire for their employees and graduate trainees. Some industries view internship as one of the most influential criteria in proving a candidates worth in a competitive market. A case study in Sweden indicated that internship experiences significantly contribute to employment. More than half of the interns indicated that the experiences they gained from internship gave them qualified knowledge and experiences necessary for the job they presently hold. In the study, the majority of workers reported they had found a job immediately after finishing internship. Of those who participated in internship, 77 per cent got a job in the labor market after one year. Furthermore, 92 per cent got a job after two years. Prospects and skills acquired from internship Internship sharpens communications skills. In the modern day labor market, employers want team workers and team builders with apt interpersonal communication skills. Most of these aspects are beneficial in the short term (Calvo 2011). The graduates can easily get a job during the period of transition after mastering these skills. Internship gives an introductory experience with regard to workplace communication skills (Bossche & Gijselaers 2012). Through the acquired workplace communication skills, work place ethics are developed. Most undergraduates study these ethics in class without having a clue how they are implemented. Internship develops and strengthens workplace ethics and teamwork skills. There is a difference between interpersonal communication skills and interpersonal holistic relationship skills (European Union 2012). The latter refers to relating with fellow team workers well. Internship develops both (European Parliament 2011). The field work experience during internship impacts the undergraduates with exceptional analytical skills. This makes them problems solvers within organizations. Problem solving is about creating initiatives that the answer to the needs of organizations and community at large (Starger 2012). The guts to develop solutions are instilled through the internship experience. This is important in the long term. Problems solving continues to remain important in the entire career path. The goal of the internship is to introduce the undergraduate to the labor market realities (Sweitzer & King 2008). It also helps students to take responsibility in their field of operations. Therefore, flexibility and ability to adapt become vital ingredients of qualification into the labor market (Calvo 2011). Value of internship Most employers argue that an internship is meant to test the mental capacity and strength of prospective workers. Therefore, attitude is molded while facing the workplace challenges (European Parliament 2011). Details and technical skills are introduced into the work ethics of the interns (Robelet 2009). This becomes crucial in keeping their focus on targets in both short and long term analysis. For the undergraduates, the skills acquired during internship can be directly applied to earn higher grades. This helps the student progress to their next stage in their career path and is a short term benefit of internship. Internship allows the participants to question and work this people who chose the same career as the intern (Bukaliya 2012). They are able to shed strong and helpful insight into the job details and the specifics that go with the career and what has been developing in the industry. This is crucial in the modern day pluralistic labor market which is extremely dynamic. Technology is rapidly changing, and interns need the latest data and information in order to be considered relevant. This kind of specialist information and direct knowledge sets the intern apart from other candidates looking for jobs. Internship exposes the inadequacy of learning without field encounters (Calvo 2011). Working practically reveals job details and the skills needed to excel in the career path. Internship gives both practical experiences that complement academic achievements. Most employers look for both academic achievements and work experience (European Union 2012). Internship offers this opportunity whilst continuing with studies. Internship is considered by most employers to be job experience. Internship testimonials show that the confidence and workplace is entirely altered after internship (Starger 2012). Internship contributes to a more holistic understanding of a career, which ends up strengthening interests in the same. Conclusion Internship programs are becoming increasingly influential. Research shows that internship increases chances of employment directly. The labor market is friendlier to the undergraduates who go through internship successfully. Study show that structured work experience and the involvement of employers has positive outcomes on graduates. The ability of undergraduates and graduates to get graduate level jobs increases significantly. This increment tends to decrease as graduates acquire more occupation specific knowledge through their experience and training. This shows the importance of internship during the transition stage of graduates. After graduates become stable they seek to enhance professional skills in their respective fields. The benefits of internship outweigh the demerits (European Union 2012). Therefore, internship should be incorporated in the formal learning process of all undergraduates in order to maximize their potential. Recommendations 1. Undergraduates should not be allowed to face the labor market without the internship experience. There is no known demerit for participating in an internship. Internship introduces new skills in the career path and should be part of the learning process. 2. The labor market should create avenues that make it easily for undergraduates to be absorbed and get the required experiences. This may include organizations’ corroboration with tertiary institutions so that students can have an exchange program with successful companies with regard to internship. The company gains through research and labor from the undergraduates. 3. Internship should be made affordable to all students. Some undergraduates argue they cannot afford unpaid internship, which impacts them negatively in the labor market. References Bossche, P. V., & Gijselaers, W. H. 2012 Learning at the Crossroads of Theory and Practice: Research on Innovative Learning Practices 1st ed. Springer. Bukaliya, R. 2012. THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF INTERNSHIP PROGRAMMES IN AN ODL INSTITUTION: International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications, 31. Calvo, J. 2011. Organization for Higher Education, Cooperation-operation, Research and Development (OCIDES). Internships between Higher Education and Work: Theoretical considerations and analysis for re­election, (1, 1-20. European Parliament 2011. Promoting youth access to the labour market, strengthening trainee, internship and apprenticeship status. Official Journal of the European Union, 1, 29-38. European Union 2012. Council conclusions on the employability of graduates from education and training, 11, 2-15. Korn, M. 2012, July 27. Are Unpaid Internships Worth the Effort? The wall street journal, p. 3. McGuinness, S., & Peter, J. 2009 Reconsidering GraduateLabour Market Mismatch Among UK Graduates: An Analysis Using REFLEX Data, 17, 1-52. Robelet, A. 2009 Professional impact of internships for foreign trainees in Quebec hospitals. 1 3 61-68. Starger, I. 2012, May 14. Sunday Dialogue: The Value of Internships. New York Times, p. 9. Sweitzer, H. F., & King, M. A. 2008. The Successful Internship: Personal, Professional, and Civic Development 3rd ed.Cengage Learning. Read More