Impact of Internship on Job Performance among University Graduates in South Korea

Abstract

This study aims to explore internship experiences and their influence on job performance among university graduates in Korea. The research questions are as follows: 1) To what extent do university students engage in different types of internships in Korea? 2) How do internship experiences differ by academic fields and institutional types? 3) Does internship experience predict graduates’ job performance, namely their job search duration, wages, and job satisfaction? This study used the Korean Education and Employment Panel Survey (keep) data conducted by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (krivet). In this study, the data was selected from 1,184 respondents who graduated from high school in 2005 and became paid workers in any sector after graduating from a junior college or university. Data from 961 respondents were used in this study. The results show that internship experience improved job performance; it shortened the duration to find a job and enhanced wages and job satisfaction. The effects on job performance, however, differed by type of internship, academic major, institutional characteristics, and working condition. We explored the actual internship participation of university graduates in Korea and examined its impact empirically, offering implications for individuals, universities, and policymakers.

Internship Experiences Among College Students Attending an HBC: A Longitudinal Grounded Theory Exploration

“…Findings revealed that all participants, regardless of whether they had completed an internship, believed doing so was valuable. They described feeling some pressure to complete internships on their campus, which aligns with the broader landscape within higher education that has pushed for internship completion to prepare undergraduate students to transition to work (e.g., Jung & Lee, 2017;Silva et al, 2018). Participants believed that completing internships would lead beneficial outcomes and that internship completion provide opportunities to learn, practice, and apply skills while gaining career and life experience.…”

“…The National Association of Colleges and Employers estimated that 65% of graduating college students in the U.S. completed an internship or a co-op program in 2016 (Crain, 2016) as compared to 3% in the 1980's (Perlin, 2011). The emphasis on internships has increased as higher education institutions have been tasked with addressing post-graduate employment (Silva et al, 2018) and with preparing students for the challenges of the changing job market (Jung & Lee, 2017).…”

“…Internship completion also has a number of positive post-graduation benefits. It decreases the duration between graduation and job acquisition (Jung & Lee, 2017), contributes to higher starting wages (Reimer & Schro ¨der, 2006), and relates to higher rates of call-backs for interviews (Nunley et al, 2016).…”

Will university internship secure you a job?: interplaying factors from an emerging market perspective

“…approaches to learning (Jung and Lee, 2017). Students often use internships as a way to test out career options, due to which they lead to improved job satisfaction by better preparation for entering work.…”

Meslek Yüksekokulu Öğrenci̇leri̇ni̇n Stajlarda Karşilaştiklari Sorunlarin Değerlendi̇ri̇lmesi̇

“…Sahada yapılan uygulamalar, stajyerlerin mesleki alan deneyimlerini arttırması nedeniyle önemlidir. Stajyerlik deneyimi, iş bulma, daha iyi ücret ve Aralık 2018 Cilt 20 Sayı 2 (119-133) DOI: 10.26468/trakyasobed.427663 mesleki doyum noktasında bireylerin mesleki performansını geliştirmektedir (Jung ve Lee, 2017). Fakat bu süreçlerde, yaşanan sorunlar stajyerlerin mesleki deneyimlerine yönelik isteklerini olumsuz şekilde etkiyebilmektedir.…”