Perspectives of Non-Traditional University Graduates on Internships: Skills, Employability and Transition to the Labour Market in Spain

Abstract

Employability has become a principal aim of universities in Europe and beyond. In this context, internships are a central strategy for the promotion of employability. This qualitative study, conducted in Spain and based on biographical-narrative interviews, focuses on the voices and experiences of 25 non-traditional university graduates, all from the field of social sciences, on employability, internships, and skills. The data collected are analysed based on four categories: training received at the university; the influence of internships on employability; assessment of the internships; and perspectives on skills in demand and mismatches between graduate profiles and labour market demands.
 Graduates feel the internships has not helped in the transition to the workplace. Graduates have criticised the lack of connection between university and workplace, the short duration of internships, and the insufficient focus on professional and transversal skills. The results also suggest that universities should develop more initiatives to improve internships, working in coordination with employers and other stakeholders.

Differences in self-perceived employability between university and VET students: an analysis of emerging adults in Spain

“…Although a concerted effort has been made over recent decades to foster employability in the university environment, traditionally, universities have offered eminently theoretical training, more based on content than on developing competences (Fallows and Steven, 2000; Oria, 2012) or providing students with the aptitudes and attitudes they need to participate effectively in the labor market (Padilla-Carmona et al ., 2014; Tymon, 2013). Even internships at university, which are oriented towards developing professional competences, are limited, since they tend to last only a short time and perhaps pay insufficient attention to the very same professional competences they are designed to foster (Espósito and González-Monteagudo, 2016; Muñoz-García and González-Monteagudo, 2020; Papadakis et al ., 2022). In contrast, VET training, which is based on curricula designed to facilitate the transition to the labor market, helps students develop competences that are less academic and more directly applicable to the workplace (Golsteyn and Stenberg, 2017; Choi et al ., 2019).…”

“…In contrast, VET training, which is based on curricula designed to facilitate the transition to the labor market, helps students develop competences that are less academic and more directly applicable to the workplace (Golsteyn and Stenberg, 2017; Choi et al ., 2019). VET students feel more satisfied with the competences developed during their modules than their university counterparts (Pérez-Díaz and Rodríguez, 2014), and those who have experienced both pathways claim that VET is more adapted to the labor market (Muñoz-García and Gonzalez-Montiagudo, 2020). This lack of adjustment between university competences and employability may have a negative impact on university students' perception of their employability and may explain the differences observed in the present study.…”

“…These findings highlight the need for universities to develop specific strategies and plans to promote employability among their students. As proposed by Muñoz-García and González-Monteagudo (2020), we must review the university education curriculum and make the changes required to foster greater alignment between university training, the demands of the job market and careers guidance processes, such as, for example, increasing the practical work experience or internship period. This process of reviewing the curriculum and developing strategies for fostering employability should focus mainly on female university students who, despite having enormous potential, feel less capable than their male counterparts of finding and maintaining a job.…”

“…In 1990, VET was rendered equivalent to the academic training offered through the Bachillerato and university pathway, but with a training pathway that was much more technical in nature and designed to prepare students for the labor market (López-Fogués, 2014). Nevertheless, it remains the less popular choice, mainly for two reasons: firstly, the prejudice generated by its being a non-competitive, less prestigious type of training (Martínez-Morales and Marhuenda-Fluixá, 2020) and secondly, because the real likelihood of finding a well-paid, non-precarious job increases the higher the training level acquired (OECD, 2015). Despite this, VET has a higher job placement rate (CEDEFOP, 2012; Golsteyn and Stemberg, 2017) and is considered a true alternative for combating the recession and concerning rate of youth unemployment in Spain.…”