The world of higher education is experiencing a tectonic shift. Increasing technological advancement, rapid changes in job markets, and heightened expectations of employers mean that theory alone does not allow for an easy transition from classrooms to careers.Amidst all of this, the simple concept of "undergraduate internships" continues to rise as an important "between-the-classroom-and-the-world" connector.. Yet many of these institutions referred to as "internships" remain optional, rather than compulsory.
Overall, to meet contemporary challenges, it is necessary for higher education institutions to employ internships, in some form, as compulsory for all undergraduate courses. Such a shift not only meets "the challenge of a long-dividing industry academia gap,"but greatly increases overall graduate employability versus their non-engaged, non-internship course contemporaries. This article discusses the need for all undergraduate courses to have a compulsory internship component, what students might benefit from as well as the obstacles to be overcome, and then provides a plan to thoughtfully implement a compulsory internship into an undergraduate academic landscape.
Addressing the Industry Academia Gap
The industry academia gap in higher education is one of the most pressing issues facing postsecondary education today. While an industry exhibits a skill gap where students have a degree of academic credentialing, that credential does not lead to the practical skills that employers are looking for. Thus, students may have an overall credential, but they lack theoretically-based critical thinking, the ability to apply knowledge, and practical, work-ready skills.
Universities are focused on students obtaining an academic credential, while employers require a work-ready student. Undergraduate internships are the best way to bridge that gap in credentials and work-ready skills because they place students in position to see industry standards, immerse in corporate culture, and utilize tools and technologies that will provide a foundation for job-specific, real-time skills.
For example:-
- Control systems are taught in a class for an engineering course and the student will only really understand control systems when they utilize those skills again in an internship at a manufacturing plant. If universities sought to embed an internship concept in every undergraduate course, we would be sure that students would leave with knowledge and experience — thus, shrinking the gap between industry and academia.
- A business student might better understand market dynamics through a marketing internship, just as an engineering student may gain valuable design and prototyping skills in an R\&D internship. These practical experiences bring classroom learning to life, reinforce understanding, and foster critical thinking and adaptability.
Enhancing Employability Through Practical Experience
Employability is a key concern for graduates and policymakers alike. Employers increasingly value experience alongside qualifications. Internships provide that crucial first experience that potential employers are likely to see on a resume, offering students a competitive edge in job markets flooded with equally qualified candidates.
In a job market that is increasingly saturated, a degree is no longer guaranteed employment. Employers are now looking at candidates who have some demonstrated experience, some flexibility/adaptability, and some workplace competencies. This is where we recognize the importance of employability as it refers to our ability to attain and maintain employment, and grow in our careers regardless of whether a given job or career path is serious or casual work.
Undergraduate internships are a key building block to create employability with students. These invaluable experiences can help students in a myriad of ways:
- Hands-on experience with tools, technologies, and industry-specific methodologies
- Exposure to workplace culture, ethics, and professional expectations
- Development of transferable soft skills such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and time management
- Insight into job roles, responsibilities, and expectations in various sectors
These experiences allow a graduate to enter a full-time job with confidence and competence. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), graduates with internship experience are more likely to receive job offers and start with a higher salary compared to those without internship experience.Institution-based internships can ensure that all students progresses after college with greater employability, increased readiness, and a better understanding of the job market.
Real-World Learning: Applying Theory in Practice
Undergraduate experiences usually represent the first time students can investigate careers and themselves. Many students embark on their undergraduate experience unaware of what their future career will look like. Internships allow students to consider all of these different roles in different settings, and this exploration of roles and settings may help students clarify their interests and career aspirations.
For example:
* A journalism major intern at a newsagency may learn they prefer digital stories to print ones;
* A biology major intern at a lab may learn that they want to pursue environmental conservation rather than a career in developing pharmaceuticals.
Forcing an internship on students creates opportunities for them to experiment with careers early, rather than late in their educational careers, with the great benefit of shrinking degrees of uncertainty about their post-graduation future, alongside avoiding expensive mistakes i.e. switching careers after they graduate.
Career Clarity and Informed Decision-Making
Most students have a vague notion of their potential study field and career as they begin in a program. Throughout their studies, students often experience doubt, confusion, or even disappointment regarding their study area.
Internships required in undergraduate programs support students to:
- Try out some of the potential career directions
- To see what daily responsibilities look like in different roles
- To consider their interests, strengths, and aptitudes
- To consider for future specialization or postgraduate study
For example,
- A psychology student might realize they actually enjoy organizational psychology more than clinical working as an intern in corporate human resources.
- A literature student may stumble upon a real interest in development strategy while developing their content strategy knowledge as an intern at a digital marketing firm.
Internships like these give students the confidence and experience needed to make better and informed career decisions before graduation.
Learning Key Professional and Soft Skills
Academic programs often see the development of key soft skills, which are so foundational in the workplace, as not worth developing. Internships provide an arena for students to grow these skills naturally.
These include:
- Communication: Writing professional emails, presenting their ideas, as well as attending and actively participating in meetings
- Teamwork: Working alongside their colleagues, manager, and cross-functional teams
- Time Management: Completing jobs on time while balancing multiple responsibilities
- Leadership and Initiative: Owning their work as professionals and developing solutions to problems
- Problem-Solving: Using creativity to deal with challenges that arises from unexpected events
Such skill sets are essential for career progression and cited by employers as often more important than technical skills. The incorporation of internships into all undergraduate programming allows all students regardless of their major to gain the skills noted above.
Promoting Equal Opportunity and Inclusive Growth
Every year, countless students - particularly those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and/or from less-connected institutions - apply for internships, either by teaching assistants, professors or fellow students. Making internships compulsory for all undergraduate students means that all students have the same level of access to valuable real-world experience - regardless of where they come from or their economic circumstances or location.
Colleges need to develop central internship cells, build relationships with companies, and use online platforms where students can search for and connect with opportunities. This is invaluable and signals to students, employers and their respective institutions of the real value of internships, both in terms of building equitable access to opportunity and showcasing the growing diversity of the workforce.
Encouraging Innovation and Entrepreneurial Mindsets
Internships, by their nature, present students with challenges that make them aware of the challenges and pain points of customers. Being in a position to actively solve workplace challenges encourages innovation and creative problem solving. Simply going through this process may encourage some students (with a flare for innovation) to start their own tech startup or other entrepreneurial venture.
Making undergraduate internships compulsory supports not only the employment aspirations of individuals but also cultivates environments that encourage entrepreneurial thinking through real-world exposure - contributing to job creation, economic diversification and innovation ecosystems at national scales.
For example:
- A computer science student might identify a software need in a logistics firm and later create a startup around it.
- A design intern might propose a new branding idea that leads to product success.
Contributions to National Development
A well-trained workforce that is able to enter the field on day one is essential for national advancement. Internships are a support to that process by making sure graduates are skilled and ready to ‘step into the workforce and contribute to the economy’.
Additional national gains will be:
- Less graduate underemployment and unemployment
- More engagement between education systems and the national economic priorities
- A greater impetus for youth to engage in things like rural development, public health, research and development, entrepreneurship, and others
- Socially aware, civically engaged contributors to society
Mandatory internships can create more awareness of the real problems and challenges students will face, and often lead to those students wanting to contribute to positive development.
Facilitating a Culture of Lifelong Learning
In the 21st century knowledge economy, higher education will be in a continuous state of evolution in order to not just teach students, but empower them through new meanings of learning that go beyond traditional, sedentary classroom growth. Internships are no longer an option - they are a necessity for students to be better prepared for the real world! Internships provide unparalleled experiential learning, enhance professional development, and help to create motivation for academic learning. In order for educational institutions to truly empower our students, we must mandate internships for all undergraduate academic programs. It is time for post-secondary educational institutions to account for their responsibility to educate and empower.
As we strive to enhance the quality of internships through planning, connection to industry, and government facilitation to increase fairness and accessibility for all students, we truly have an opportunity to develop not just the best graduates, but also the most capable, resilient, informed and future-ready workforce!
As propositions for learning continue to change, learning and learning systems must also keep changing. Graduates today not only need to be educated, they must also be employable, integrated, and skilled in generating a safeguarded future. It is with a bold suggestion that mandatory undergraduate internships are a great opportunity for educating a new generation of empowered students.
By embedding internships as compulsory assessments across undergraduate pathways, we build students that will become engaged, competent, and confident contributors to their workplace and society. To devote ourselves to this approach will likely involve some effort, collaboration, encouragement and even renegotiation, but will ultimately yield outcomes that span benefit across person, workplace, society, labour force and future.
ARTICLE BY - ANANYA AWASTHI
