Skills Development and Career Enhancement Through Internship Programmes: A Study of the Students of the University of Ghana, Legon

Abstract

Internship programmes have been instituted in almost all tertiary institutions. A major premise advanced in favor of this position is that these programmes help in bridging the gap between the theories taught in the classroom and the realities in the world of work. Several studies have been conducted to evaluate the importance and efficacy of these programmes. Among the theoretical debates, internships have been argued to contribute significantly to skills development as well as developing the prospects of employability of students. The purpose of this study is to examine the prospects of these internship programmes on student skills development and employability in Ghana, using the University of Ghana, Legon as a point of reference. Using a quantitative survey where 200 students will be sampled for the study, the study aims to evaluate the nature of these programmes, its alignment with skills development prospects as well as enhancing employability, and finally, assessing the challenges of the internship programmes. This will contribute significantly to scores of literature surrounding the subject, and bring to the fore perspectives from the Ghanaian situation. Findings from this study will help improve the nature of these programmes and influence policy directions to abate the challenges that besmirch the relevance of these programmes.