For many students, an internship is a pivotal component of their university experience. Gaining practical and meaningful work experience during their studies can lay the foundation for future career success.
Internships and student satisfaction were the focus of the May Professional Education and Practice Network (PEPN) meetup. The event was hosted by Julieanne Cutrupi, Manager, Careers Service, who spoke about the recent trends in student engagement with internship experiences at UTS.
At UTS, the quality of student internship experiences has been evaluated by the annual Student Satisfaction Survey (SSS). The survey aims to provide a broad picture of student satisfaction with the university’s support services and facilities.
2023 feedback
In 2023, there was a decrease in satisfaction with the information on internships. It has since been identified as an area needing improvement – it is one of 7 out of 80 items categorised as needing attention. A range of comments, both positive and negative, were provided in the survey responses:
It would be nice if there was more faculty-specific advice about internships and jobs in my field.
UG FASS Student
Sometimes an enquiry goes back and forth among people before they know how to answer your question.
UG Student
Careers emails and information on internships are great to read up on.
UG Engineering Student
The careers hub is amazing with helping to get an internship.
PG Engineering Student
Examples of best practice
Despite mixed responses in the survey, there has been ongoing work across the UTS faculties to provide students with relevant information about internships. These include faculty-specific Canvas sites and information pages on the UTS CareerHub. UTS Careers has also hosted numerous panel discussion events, such as the “How to find an internship” series, which have proven to be effective platforms for engaging students.
The meetup also featured contributions from 2 UTS students, Jaspreet and Ky. They both offered their insights into their experiences with finding support for internships. Access to online resources was identified as a major factor in determining their satisfaction with the internship-seeking experience. In various cases, students have mentioned they struggled with navigating between different systems, websites and services at UTS when trying to find relevant information. Having access to peer mentors and other support staff has also been a significant influence on students during their internship experience.
Need more internship guidance? For practical advice and student perspectives, you can check out the UTS Careers Blog. Don’t forget to register for the upcoming UTS WIL Symposium for more insights into the student experience around their work-integrated learning.