The worth of internships for college kids’ profession navigation and future employment alternatives is obvious for faculties and lots of employers. However what do college students consider internship experiences, and the way do they profit them of their future planning?
A brand new report from Handshake, revealed Feb. 20, highlights tendencies throughout college students who’ve and haven’t participated in internships, the affect on their targets past faculty, and the obstacles that hinder engagement.
Among the many tendencies current: Extra interns are taking part in paid internships and incomes above minimal wage whereas doing so, and firm tradition can affect college students’ willingness to return for a full-time place.
Methodology
Handshake’s Internship Index was assembled with knowledge from a November 2024 survey of greater than 5,605 college students and 834 latest graduates, in addition to job posting and software knowledge from the platform. Current graduates are those that accomplished their diploma in 2022, 2023 or 2024.
Why intern? A majority of scholars stated they pursue internships to construct worthwhile expertise (87 p.c), to establish doable profession alternatives (72 p.c), to make skilled connections (70 p.c) or to get a leg up of their future job hunt (70 p.c). About 59 p.c say taking part in an internship is a vital step towards clarifying their profession targets.
Just one-third of scholars recognized fulfilling a level requirement as a main issue for pursuing an internship, and simply over half indicated monetary motivation for interning.
Amongst college students who’ve accomplished an internship, greater than 80 p.c say the expertise formed their preferences for industries and job roles. Round 54 p.c of scholars stated their internship made them extra assured of their profession targets, and 56 p.c stated it was important for making progress towards profession targets. One-quarter stated it impressed them to set new profession targets, which might be equally worthwhile.
A winter 2023 Pupil Voice survey by Inside Larger Ed and Faculty Pulse discovered 10 p.c of scholars recognized an internship as a high affect on their profession selections for after faculty.
What hinders internships: Round 12 p.c of scholars within the Handshake research haven’t participated in an internship and don’t count on to take action previous to ending their diploma. The best share of those college students say they’re restricted by time (33 p.c)—overwhelmed by coursework and different commitments—or they’ve utilized for roles and haven’t been chosen (33 p.c).
“College students could really feel shut out of internships for a wide range of causes, starting from packed schedules to monetary and geographic constraints,” the report says. “Even for college kids who’ve ample time and assets, touchdown a possibility has turn out to be tougher as hiring contracts and competitors will increase, and the appliance course of could really feel overwhelming given the variation in hiring timelines throughout employers and industries.”
Inside knowledge reveals demand for alternatives amongst college students that’s outpacing the availability. The variety of internship postings on Handshake declined 15 p.c from January 2023 to January 2025, however functions surged, with 41 p.c of the Class of 2025 having utilized to a minimum of one internship via Handshake, in comparison with 34 p.c of the Class of 2023.
Solely half of latest faculty graduates participated in an internship whereas enrolled in an undergraduate program. Even amongst college students who do land an internship, time continues to be restricted, with 56 p.c of interns concurrently taking courses and 36 p.c working a part-time job. Round one in eight college students stated that their internship required them to work 40 hours every week or extra.
First-generation college students have been extra more likely to say they accomplished an internship whereas taking courses or working (80 p.c) in comparison with their continuing-generation friends (70 p.c).
Pay day: As faculties and employers think about the significance of experiential studying for pupil profession outcomes, extra consideration has been positioned on the worth of honest compensation to cut back fairness gaps in who is ready to take part in internships. Some faculties will present stipends or scholarships for learners who tackle an unpaid or underpaid internship, permitting them to nonetheless obtain monetary help for his or her work.
Virtually all internships (95 p.c) posted on Handshake prior to now 12 months have been paid, which college students say is necessary to them in deciding on an internship position.
A majority of scholars who participated in an internship had an hourly wage (57 p.c) or a set wage or stipend (24 p.c). The very best common price was for pupil interns working in skilled companies ($35 an hour) or monetary companies ($31 per hour). College students working in hospitality or training acquired the bottom common price of $17.50 an hour.
A expertise pipeline: Internships might be a good way for a pupil to get a foot within the door of an organization and for the employer to supply coaching and a profession pathway for early expertise. Handshake’s knowledge reveals that the interpersonal experiences college students have whereas of their internships can affect their need to carry a full-time position in that firm.
Three in 5 interns stated the mentorship they acquired or didn’t obtain had a serious affect on their degree of curiosity in working full-time for his or her internship employer. About 89 p.c of scholars stated group tradition a minimum of considerably impacted on their curiosity in working full-time for his or her internship employer, and 90 p.c stated the identical of their interactions with colleagues.
Equally, pay was an element that impacted college students’ consideration of a full-time position at their employer. Eighty-two p.c of interns who had a reasonably compensated position would probably settle for a full-time supply from their internship employer, in comparison with 63 p.c of those that didn’t really feel their pay was honest.
After ending their internship, 59 p.c of scholars stated their expertise impacted their curiosity in working for his or her employer a minimum of reasonably, however solely 30 p.c stated they’d positively settle for a full-time supply from their employer.
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