Preparing students for the world of work: A study of the internship experience in Hong Kong

Internships are becoming an increasingly important element of the student experience, and are often a requirement of language and business communication-related degrees. The underlying expectation is that a period spent in an organization, whether local or overseas, will provide insights into the world of work, and will enhance a student’s preparation for the professional workplace. Two broad questions present themselves in relation to this feature of the curriculum: 1. What do students actually gain in specific terms from their internships? 2. How can universities prepare their students so that they can benefit fully from the experience? This project examines the internship programme offered by the Department of English at a Hong Kong university, with the aim of looking on the one hand at the challenges students face during their internships, and the nature of what they learn, and on the other of investigating the extent to which they are prepared for the experience by their university studies, along with the implications this has for teaching and curriculum design. Data for the research were gathered from interviews with host organizations, interviews with student interns, and an examination of reflective journals produced by students during their internships. The investigation looks at the demands made on interns (e.g. linguistic, intercultural, task types, required skill sets, employer expectations, etc.), and the problems and challenges they encounter, as well as the impact internships have on their understanding of workplace practices. The study also considers the types of knowledge students apply from the courses they have taken, and just as importantly, attempts to identify gaps in their knowledge and understanding that could usefully be addressed at university. The paper concludes by discussing ways in which business communication curricula and courses can be revisited in the light of the findings from the study.