Northern Essex Community College offers students the opportunity to do college internships on campus or off-site.
The plus about students doing internships in general is that they have the opportunity to earn real-life experiences and apply all the knowledge that they learn during their internship to their future jobs. Internships are a valuable experience for college students ready to enter the work field.
After completing a degree programs that ready them academically, the Internship is a hands-on work experience that prepares them for the real world.
Talking to faculty who have been involved in internship courses, they claim students learn all the steps that students need, in order to do an internship on or off campus. Some students may struggle to find their internship, while others find an internship quickly. It all depends on what type of internship they are looking for.
Sandy Rochon, a faculty member at NECC, has been working there for almost two years. Rochon works in the Career Services Department. She is one of the people in charge of helping students find a good internship that fills their needs.
Rochon stated, “I recommend students do an internship because it will provide students with real-life experience.
Students will be able to know if this particular job is one they would like to work in for the future”. “I also recommend students do an internship because they help them discover if this is what they are looking for”, (Sandy Rochon).
Katie Yeaton-Hromada is a coordinator for the Career Services Department at NECC. Yeaton-Hromada works helping students to find job opportunities, and to find suitable internship opportunities as well.
Yeaton-Hromada stated, “I totally recommend students do an internship because this is an awesome opportunity that will help them build up knowledge towards their degree. They will be able to bring all the knowledge they have earned during the internship to their future job.”
Professor Sheila Muller is the Chair of the Business Department at NECC. Professor Muller stated that the internship class is a course that students should take when they want to earn experience. According to Professor Muller, doing an internship is a good idea that provides students with real-life experiences. Professor Muller stated, “Not all programs at NECC offer the opportunity to do an internship, but some of them do. The number of hours for students to do their internship is around 8 hours per week, or 10 hours weekly as a maximum.”
Professor Muller also stated, “Students who do an internship will learn how to behave in a business environment and will have an idea of what to expect in the future” (Professor Muller).
The greatest praise of the program comes from the NECC Internship Students.
In interviewing a variety of students who chose the Internship option, almost every one of them has excellent feedback from their experiences.
The most widely stated comment is that students feel much more prepared for life in their chosen careers.
They go on to say that their real-world learning experiences have been more than just a classroom experience. Learning is expanded to what it will be like as they enter the workforce. These NECC students contest that hands-on learning experiences are a preferred way of attaining knowledge.
