Internship: Conventional Wisdom, Models & Recommendations

Abstract

Internship has been attracting considerable attention for a number of years and, yet, has rarely been the subject of any sustained, serious research. The research that informed the production of the materials in this pack addressed the following questions: • what is the difference between internship, other forms of structured work place learning, and un-focused and unpaid work experience? • how do employers offer access to internships, and how does this practice vary according to the size of company and the nature of work? • what models of learning are associated with best practice internships and how do such models contribute to the development of young people’s vocational and entrepreneurial skills? • what are the implications of the above for: (i) national policy for skills and higher education? and (ii) companies, stakeholders and interns?