Journal of Instructional Pedagogies Volume 28
Technical training and soft skills – a study of internships
Gail D. Moore
Lander University
ABSTRACT
Faculty encourage students to participate in internships to gain major-specific knowledge
and make contacts in their field. Internships are becoming more popular with students over the
past 5 years, with an uptick in the number of students who participate in this kind of experiential
learning. While students do learn technical training in an internship they also have the ability to
experience, practice and hone soft skills. Soft skills are skills such as communication, teamwork,
leadership, and problem solving. These skills are the skills employers are seeking above and
beyond technical skills. When the goal in internships becomes not only helping students focus on
their intended field of study, but also learning the soft skills requested by employers, the
internships benefit students in a multitude of ways. The question becomes how does the
academic environment structure an internship to ascertain that students are learning the soft skills
as well as the technical skills needed to succeed? This paper focuses on internships and their
benefits to students in both a technical and soft skill aspect as well as assignments and measuring
tools used in internship classes to instill and assess the internship.
Keywords: Internship, Soft Skills, Technical Skills, Student Success, Professionalism
Copyright statement: Authors retain the copyright to the manuscripts published in AABRI
journals. Please see the AABRI Copyright Policy at http://www.aabri.com/copyright.html
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Journal of Instructional Pedagogies Volume 28
INTERNSHIPS – WHAT ARE THEY AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?
Internships are experiential learning experiences where students gain experience in their
chosen field as well as the soft skills necessary to succeed. Cambridge Dictionary defines an
internship as “a period of time during which someone works for a company or organization in
order to ger experience of a particular type of work” (Cambridge Dictionary, 2022.).
Careers.com describes an internship as “a professional learning experience that offers
meaningful, practical work related to a student's field of study or career interest.” (Careers,
2022). Students gain technical skills in not just accounting, management, marketing or other field
of study. Students also learn computer skills and programs, problem solving, job skills and a day
to day understanding of how work “works”. Faculty encourage students to participate in
internships to gain major-specific knowledge and make contacts in their field. These experiential
learning experiences by definition cannot be experienced in the classroom. Instead, students
must go into the workforce and gain hands-on experience in their chosen field.
Internships are becoming more popular with students over the past 5 years, with a 23%
uptick in the number of students who participate in this kind of experiential learning according to
NACE’s 2021 Internship & Co-op Survey Report. (NACE, 2021). It is noted, however, that in
the Spring of 2020, many schools and universities closed or transferred to a solely online
delivery system and internship opportunities drastically declined. According to Emily Boskamp
of Zippia, more than 70% of internship offers were rescinded in 2020. (Boskamp, 2022). The
good news for interns is that current demand for interns is continuing to rise. In her article 44%
of Businesses Looking for Interns in 2022, Sheena Hollander discusses a poll commissioned by
Express Employment Professionals where she noted 44% of employers are looking to hire
interns in 2022. (Hollander, 2022). In 2022, internship opportunities and placements increased
by 17%, giving students new opportunities to sharpen their skills.
According to a 2016 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) survey,
more than 56 percent of graduating seniors reported taking part in at least one internship.
(NACE, 2021). Of those respondents, 56 percent were paid, while 44 percent were unpaid.
Seventy-two percent of those unpaid internships were credit-bearing. In an internship, either
paid or unpaid, a student can work a stated number of hours during a semester and gain both
academic credit and experience.
Internship programs in 2022 show a current internship structure of approximately 60%
paid versus 40 % unpaid internships, noting a slight uptick in paid internships. (Boskamp,
2022). A NACE study shows that “paid internships benefit students in their initial post-
graduation job search” garnering students more job options and offers, higher starting salaries,
and aiding students in finding employment quicker post-graduation. (Open the Door: Disparities
in Paid Internships, n.d.) Along with payment, most internships carry 3-9 hours of academic
credit provided student completes certain requirements. Internship programs reviewed require
80 to 120 hours of field experience to earn 3 hours of academic class credit.
A review of university level internships requirements shows that to award academic
credit, students must usually complete many additional graded requirements in addition to the
hours worked requirement. These separate graded requirements along with the work performed
become the grade in the class. These requirements include weekly reports on work performed, a
mid-point and final evaluation, a project and project presentation, a review of ethics learned by
either completing a checklist or paper, as well as a final presentation that includes what the
students learned and what could be improved upon in their internship. A table showing an
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Journal of Instructional Pedagogies Volume 28
example of an internship grading spreadsheet with assignments and totals is attached is Table 1.
This table outlines assignments and point percentages and requirements used in grading an
internship as an academic class as opposed to just field experience. These extra requirements
add to not only the technical skills learned but also the soft skills acquired.
While students learn and are reviewed on their technical skills throughout an internship,
these experiences also allow students to learn a vast breadth of knowledge about business – how
work “works”. Internship programs in other states, including New York and Ohio and Florida
demonstrate that students across the country have similar goals of reviewing their interests and
abilities in their field of study, and developing work habits and attitudes necessary for job
success. Student learning outcomes also focus on identifying professional habits and focusing on
important skills such as oral and written communication, critical thinking, leadership, and
teamwork. (Student Learning Outcomes | Internships and Co-ops | Monroe Community College,
n.d) Indeed, while students do learn technical training in an internship they also have the ability
to experience, practice and hone soft skills.
SOFT SKILLS – WHAT ARE THEY AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?
Soft skills are a key to success in today’s job market. What are soft skills? Job
powerhouse Indeed.com defines soft skills as “interpersonal and behavioral skills that help you
to work well with other people and develop your career”. (Herrity, 2022) The Department of
Labor identifies the top 4 soft skills employees should possess to succeed as leadership,
communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. (DOL, n.d.). Additional examples are
flexibility, creativity, integrity and work ethic, but soft skills or “professional skills” as they are
sometimes called refer to a person’s ability to interact with other members of their office, their
team or their customers.
These professional skills are the skills employers are seeking above and beyond technical
skills. When the goal in internships becomes not only helping students focus on their intended
field of study, but also learning the soft skills requested by employers, the internships benefit
students in a multitude of ways. In a LinkedIn Skills Report (2018), 57% of people rated soft
skills as being more important than technical skills. Skills beyond technical skills such as
communication, leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork can all be learned through an
internship and utilized beyond that experience.
Kevin Gray in his discussion of the NACE 2022 Job Outlook stated that 98.5% of
employers rated critical thinking skills as important or very important while only 55.8% of
employers deemed new graduates as having the level of critical thinking skills needed.
Additionally, 97.7% of employers rated teamwork as important or extremely important while
ranking only 77.5% of students as having this important skill. Employers also saw a 42.7%
differential between the students who possessed professionalism, 44.2%, and the employers who
deemed it important, 86.9%. (Gray, 2021). Students appear to be lacking some of the required
skills. It appears that best things a student may learn from an internship to help them in their
future career is how to interact with colleagues and clients in a professional setting.
The question becomes how can students learn the inner workings of a professional
workplace thorough an internship? Can students learn how to work in teams and communicate
effectively by simply being assigned tasks and being asked to work with other people within an
organization?
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Journal of Instructional Pedagogies Volume 28
HOW DO STUDENTS LEARN SOFT SKILLS?
How does the academic environment structure an internship to ascertain that students are
learning the soft skills as well as the technical skills needed to succeed? Students in internships,
simply doing their job as assigned, working with other employees, asking questions and
attending meetings can pick up on silent cues like what to wear to work, how to ask a question in
a meeting, how are conflicts resolved, and the ever-important questions…who can eat the food in
the break room? Are these silent cues enough for students to reach the necessary level of
professionalism needed for future careers? Is there more internship preceptors can do to aid
students?
Internship coordinators for schools can also facilitate these soft skills by requiring
interaction between the student and their internship preceptors. Required reviews by preceptors
and graded presentations by students that enable additional face to face communication and
interaction between employers and students enhance the professional capabilities of students.
Additionally, a requirement to interview a manager for the company’s ethical policies again
creates an opportunity for the student to practice and learn career competencies.
The Table 1 attached shows an example internship grading sheet that requires two graded
evaluations between the student and the preceptor, an ethics evaluation where the student is
required to interview someone within the company, and two presentations to be made by the
student. These requirements create opportunities for the students to practice their soft skills and
by attaching a grade to these opportunities all parties take the requirements seriously and become
a learning experience with feedback for students.
SIGN ME UP! GETTING STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE
Since internships are obviously a plus for students, the question then becomes how do
schools encourage students to participate. Even though participation is increasing, still only 50
to 60 percent of students participate in internships, less so when not required. (Boskamp, 2022).
Some barriers to internships include lack of overall understanding of how an internship works,
lack of understanding of the professional environment, inability to participate in an internship
due to a current full-time job and communication barriers since students do not check traditional
communication forums like emails, indeed, and in-class postings. How can colleges and
universities work with students to break down these barriers?
Rachel V. Smydra, Amy Ring Cebelak, and Noah Pollock in their article First Steps to
Improving Internship Participation noted that professor support in the classroom and through
advising is essential in getting students interested in and participating in an internship. (First
Steps to Improving Internship Participation, 2019). Professors and internship coordinators need
to work with students to explain the academic and professional side of internships. Additionally,
students can work with professors and internship coordinators on mock-interviews to help
students prepare for any interviews and answer questions about the professional environment.
Alison Pijar notes in her article How to Run a Mock Interview with your Students that the mock-
interview process helps students achieve a level of preparedness that will benefit them not only
in the interview process but in the internship and beyond in their careers. (Pijar, 2021).
Students with a full-time job face additional limits when trying to participate in an
internship. Internships coordinators should speak frankly with students, acknowledging that this
can be an issue and educating students on the availability of paid internships in many fields.
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Journal of Instructional Pedagogies Volume 28
Many students think of internships as unpaid, when the breakout on internships is closer to 60%
paid and 40% unpaid (Boskamp, 2022). The current United States average hourly rate for
student interns is approximately $20 per hour and although that varies based on where a student
interns, students should be made aware of paid opportunities. (Boskamp, 2022).
Finally, communication issues can be an issue when trying to discuss internship
opportunities with traditional students. Today’s students do not regularly check email or forums
like handshake or Indeed.com for internship opportunities. Lori Wade in her article How Social
Media is Reshaping Today’s Classroom notes that 96 percent of students have at least one social
media account (Wade, n.d.). She discusses a need for professors and educators to be open
minded about social media accounts in the classroom and as a method of disseminating
information to students. Social media may become the next level of sending out internship
information to students.
CONCLUSION
Internships provide students with excellent benefits. There is no doubt that the benefit of
technical skills will help students excel in their future careers. However, it is the soft skills that
employers demand that students can hone in an internship that will prepare them for future
success. Continued partnership between employers, professors, internship coordinators to place
students in internships can only benefit students in their future careers. The technical skills and
professional skills are invaluable lessons that cannot always be taught in the classroom.
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Journal of Instructional Pedagogies Volume 28
TABLE 1 – SAMPLE INTERNSHIP GRADING SHEET WITH COMMENTS
Student
Course BA 490
Internship Site
Pts
Possible Pts
Earned
Initial agreements outlining duties
Internship Agreements 50
and requirements of interns.
Meeting with internship
Orientation Meeting 25
coordinator to review requirements
Average score of weekly reports
sent each week to review what as
Weekly Activity Reports 300
learned and including a weekly
reflection
A profile of the intern and
Internship Profile 50
internship site
Preceptor’s first evaluation of
Performance Eval-Mid-point 100
intern
Pre-approval of both preceptor and
Project Approval 25
internship coordinator of project
A review of the power point slides
Project PPT Slides (Written) 50
to be presented
A presentation given to the
Project Presentation 50 preceptor and office members of
internship project
Paper on ethics after an interview
Ethics Exploration 50
of someone at internship site
Performance Eval-Final 100 2nd Preceptor Evaluation
Written note thanking preceptor
Thank You to Preceptor 50
for internship experience
A second presentation to internship
Internship Presentation 150 group and coordinator on
internship and learning experience
TOTAL Points 1000
Total Possible Points 1000
% Earned of Total Possible
FINAL GRADE
Hours Completed
110 hours needed for 3 credit hours
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