Students’ Perception of Office Administration Internship

Abstract

The office administration study program holds an internship for the student to improve skills in professional administration in the 21st-century era. Internships provide students a bridge from the classroom into the working world. This study aims to reveal students' perceptions of the office administration internship by using a descriptive quantitative method. A questionnaire was used to assess the perceptions of students regarding their office administration internships during the second and fourth semesters of the Office Administration Study Program. A total of 207 students were selected using proportional random sampling. Both closed-ended and open-ended questions were included in the questionnaire that was disseminated using Google Form as the data collecting technique. The results of the analysis showed that 100% of students agree that the internship program helps them get to know the world of work, 60% of student agree that assignments during the internship are in accordance with the theory taught in lectures, 59% of students are enthusiastic about participating in the internship, and 54% of students agree that internship makes them understand the skills needed in the world of work. Obstacles for students in carrying out internships include the difficulty of finding an industry as an internship place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the location of the internship being far from the student's home, lack of confidence and adjusting the internship and lecture schedule. The results of this research become valuable input for campuses, industry, and policy makers to improve the curriculum design of the internship program.