How Important Is Internship?

An internship is an opportunity offered by a company to potential students/employees, called interns, to work at a firm for a definite period of time. Usually the interns are undergraduates or students, and most internships last between a month and three months. Internships are usually part-time if offered during a university semester and full-time if offered during the vacation periods. Now a days in many colleges the company have made it mandatory for students to complete their internship before completing the program.

An internship should give you practical skills, workplace experience and greater knowledge of that industry, in exchange for the employer benefiting from your labour.

Why is internship important?
An internship is a place whichprovides the opportunity to a student or young professional to work alongside with the regular staff in a workplace, to gain some basic hands-on experience regarding the work going on in the corporate and educational insight into a career path.

Interns does not mean that the replace regular employees but work under the supervision of a mentor, supervisor, or other staff member & work just like the staff of the organization and completes the tasks within the time allotted.

Due to the educational context of an internship, which is focused on the personal and professional development of the intern, internship positions are often unpaid (especially if a student is completing an internship in order to gain course credit), but in some organizations they are on paid basis.

Internships are important because they provide insight into real-world employment settings which can help to define career goals. For an student getting the theoretical knowledge it is a place where the gained knowledge is practically applicable & can get good hand on it. They also enable students and young professionals to develop soft-skills which are essential for employability. For example, good communication skills, professional work ethics, initiative, and cultural intelligence (the ability to work well across multi-cultural or global settings). Interns are excellent for resume boosting, networking, and for setting yourself apart within a competitive job market.

How does internship benefit the company?
Internships benefits the company by providing employers with cheap (and sometimes even free) labour, for what is usually low-level office-based tasks, such as photocopying, filing, simple spreadsheet work or drafting reports. Many businesses will bring on board interns for a number of weeks or months to assist with the completion of a major project or event.

This can be great for students, because it can really help you to develop and evidence skills in project management, problem solving and client relationship management. Even if the internship is only brief, it can still equip you with a range of transferable skills and help you network and build valuable connections in the industry.