An Evaluation of Summer Internship Program at KRG Universities: Students’ Perspective

Abstract

 The aim of this study is to evaluate the summer internship program, which is initiated by the Deputy Prime Minister Office, from the perspective of participated undergraduate students from the universities (public and private) in Kurdistan region of Iraq. An empirical study approach is applied; a questionnaire was used to collect the data for this research. The questionnaire measures students’ perspectives after finishing their three-month summer internship program. Generally, the results of the survey show that students were satisfied with their internship experience, they viewed personal development and gained experience during the internship. In addition, the outcomes illustrate that internship program gives students a great opportunity to improve their interpersonal skills in term of communication, teamwork and their experiences which gives them invaluable opportunities for their career exploration and exposure to various aspects of the market. Adding value by this study can be realized in term that this study was conducted on students with different fields of study, such as (business, engineering, computer science, language, pharmacy, etc.) and in the various companies (local and international) which play an important role in the success of the internship program. In addition, this is the first study which is conducted in term of internship program in Kurdistan as well as Iraq. Moreover, this study provides benefits of both students and companies at the same time.