A number of tertiary courses require students to undertake a period of unpaid work at art institution or organisation as part of their programme. What are the advantages and disadvantages of th? type of course requirement? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

As part of a varied and stimulating curriculum, many universities and tertiary providers often offer

student

internships with companies or other organisations as a component of study.

This

trend has both benefits and drawbacks. One of the

mam

most important element

main

advantages is that an internship in an appropriate place

ofTers

make available or accessible, provide or furnish

offers

students the chance to integrate their theory and knowledge in a real-life, practical setting. The example of

student

doctors and nurses illustrates the value of practical internships: how else would students learn to practise medicine but in an authentic, supervised context?

In addition

, internships and practicum placements can often lead to a job opportunity for the

student

upon graduating, or at the very least, a good set of contacts for the commencement of their professional life. In terms of assessment it

also

gives the university a clear picture of how the

student

is progressing against industry standards, and whether the course is meeting the needs of that particular industry.

However

, there are several disadvantages to these types of placements.

First

of all, universities can sometimes have difficulty in securing good quality, suitable placements for their students or, even worse, students are left to their own devices to arrange a placement.

This

is unsatisfactory and puts students at a disadvantage. As well as

this

, sometimes students in these types of placements get used to doing

menial task

Suggestion

the menial task

which

are

Suggestion

is

well beneath their capabilities, simply because they are perceived as inexperienced and incapable. To conclude,

student

placements arc an excellent way to provide practical experience and support our future professionals to gain the skills they need to succeed, but these placements must be monitored and facilitated carefully.