The Impact of Internships on Graduate Employability Essay

The Impact of Internships on Graduate Employability - Essay Example Thereby, employers will be able to employ people who are qualified and knowledgeable. However, some employers mistreat interns. Some organizations may not set aside budget for internship programs. By not having this program, employers are not able to teach potential employees on the competencies and skills the company wants. Introduction Internship is the period of time when students are attached to organizations where they are supervised to gain firsthand experience to the professions that they are studying. This normally comes after they have been taught about the profession in class before they are allowed to participate as interns in different organizations. While working as interns, the students are evaluated by supervisors and a report on the students’ performance is sent to their school after completion of the internship. The report combined with the course work contributes to the final score for the students (Sweitzer and King 2009). Students can either get internships through applying for the position in organizations or their college might partner with organizations in order for them to offer internship programs to their students. Internships normally vary depending on the organizations policy. Many organizations pay students who are interns in their organization. On the other hand, some organizations don’t pay interns, but rather they have incentives such as transport or lunch to motivate them. Internship period also varies on how students and the organization agree to work together. However, being an intern in a certain organization does not automatically qualify the student to get a job in the organization. However, depending on the students’ hard work, they can be considered should any vacancy arise in the organization. Students can attend internships locally or internationally so long as it is in relation to the profession that they are undertaking. In some cases, students may decide to take internship programs while they are on vacation to increase their experience on the profession (Sweitzer and King 2009). Most companies normally hire interns to equip them with the necessary skills required to perform the profession that they have specialized in. Companies also hire interns to minimize the costs required to finish some tasks. This is because companies know that when they hire interns certain tasks will be able to be accomplished with minimum expenses or with no expense at all. It is upon an individual to work hard during the internship period to acquire a range of skills and knowledge. This paper will critically analyze both the positive as well as the negative impacts of internships on graduate employability. Positive impacts of internships Internships help students to acquire knowledge. Through internships, participants get to interact with professions who guide them on how to go about the profession. During class lessons on professions that students undertake, the teaching is mostly theoretical. B ut once students are working as interns, they get to learn the practical bit of the profession thereby gaining knowledge from the different professionals they engage with. This also makes the student to gain professional knowledge on the profession that they are studying (Hergert 2009).   Internships provide students with an insight on what is required of them in order to become successful in the field.