Internship is a period of time when undergraduates undergo practical training or go on attachment at work places to gain practical experience and skills. In the last two years some 50 students under my care have successfully completed their internship at various organizations in the public sector as well as the corporate and private sector organizations in Malaysia and abroad. At least 10 students are currently completing their internship and some 20 more will be doing theirs in April and May this year.
Internship has been made compulsory for communication students specializing in public relations to graduate. They require a period of only two and half months or 10 weeks of practical attachment. Many of the students choose to do their practical training during semester 3 when they have ample time to complete their training before they come back again to the university to do another semester before graduating. But some prefer to do it at the end of their studies so that they do not have to come back to do another semester before graduating. So it is left to the students actually to decide what is the best arrangement for them.
During the last two years, students have had the opportunity to be attached at some of the established companies and GLCs such as Petronas, PNB, TM, TNB, PLUS, MTDC, PKNS and other state development corporations, Tabung Haji, BERNAMA, Media Prima, TV3, PERNEC, and Kuwait Finance House. Some were attached at established and known public relations consultancy firms like Perception Management, Prestige Communication and GRA Communication. There were also those who did their training at the ministries and government agencies like the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Information, RTM, FELCRA, HUSM and the local authorities. Students also ventured to undergo practical training overseas such as at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, Bosnia TV in Sarajevo and a private hospital in Jeddah.
Certainly I would like to record my appreciation to organizations which had accepted our students for training. Through internship program students are able to gain necessary exposure and to equip themselves with practical experience, knowledge and skills required by the industry. Apart from that, organizations will be able to gauge and assess for themselves the standard and quality of interns expected of the industry. They would also be in a position to expose the interns further to the knowledge and skills that they want for the betterment of the industry.
Prior to compulsory internship attachment students are required to undergo one semester of Practicum class at the university which exposed them to practical project. The practicum class gives students the opportunity to organize project on campus by inviting practitioners from the public relations industry to participate in their project. This does not only encourage students to display leadership skills and organizational ability but also to develop networking as well as to condition their mind before joining the industry. Students are also exposed to writing and speaking skills. So, by the time they go on their internship they would be in a better footing to handle their tasks and face challenges.
I am glad that many interns have paid serious attention to their practical training in wanting to improve their skills and in gaining exposure. This is clearly shown by the interest of the organizations where interns have been attached to offer them jobs even before completion of their studies. Some were employed by these organizations immediately after completing their internship.This is really a recognition by the industry.
During the period students were on attachment at various locations I have tried to visit the interns, of course within the limits to do so, to talk to their supervisors on their progress and to make on-the-ground assessment. It is indeed very interesting to make the calls, at times having the opportunity to meet old friends and the advantage to renew professional acquaintance with the industry. Both interns and their supervisors were happy to welcome me.
But I do receive complaints from my interns who did their practical training in locations outside KL because I did not visit them. It is certainly not my intention to ignore them, but more because of the constraints that I face in terms of time factor, distance and resources. Nevertheless, I appreciate efforts of interns who have been in touch with me giving an update of what they have been doing and seeking appropriate advice on how to approach their work. This has given me a good impression on what they actually have been doing. Apart from that, I am in touch with their supervisors to have a feeling over what they have done. So, I do have other mechanism to evaluate. They should not therefore feel they are totally neglected.
