Many businesses offer internship programmes (also known as ‘work placements‘ or ‘work experience’) which are designed to provide work experience (generally to graduates or undergraduates) and are also a way for the employer to get to know potential future recruits.
Interns (ie those taking part in an internship) often need to go through a selection process to achieve a placement which might last anything from a few weeks over the summer holidays (known as a ‘summer internship’), to an entire year as a sandwich placement during their university or college course.
Internships can provide benefits for both the interns themselves and the business taking them on. Some benefits are that:
- students can learn more about a particular industry or profession and enhance their skills
- prospective job seekers will experience a working environment and can develop networking skills
- employers can meet new potential recruits and also receive the benefits of a flexible workforce (eg to compensate for colleagues on holiday over the summer months)