Perception of the Internship Programme Among Undergraduate Candidates of the Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Agribusiness Management in University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka

Internships (IS) are important for students to get meaningful practical experience in their related field of study before entering the industrial world. Despite the completion of the internship, the employment rate among graduates remains low, raising the question of whether students are obtaining the required competencies through internships that they require to perform a job. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the students’ perceptions of internship programmes while identifying expected and acquired skills, benefits, and challenges and providing suggestions. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was employed for this study. The sample consisted of 53 students from the recent two batches who have completed their internship. Data were collected through a pre-tested, electronically distributed questionnaire and analyzed descriptively. Results revealed that 58.8 % of the students have completed their internships in the private sector, as expected by the policy makers of the faculty. The major skills gained included real-life working experience, managerial skills, communication skills, time management skills, and adaptability skills, while gaining practical skills through the application of academic knowledge, followed by industry exposure and understanding, personality development and skill enhancement, networking, and public relations opportunities were the major benefits from IS. However, a low level of employment still exists due to the prevailing external factors. This can be addressed by supporting entrepreneurial initiatives to encourage students to become job creators rather than job seekers. The major challenges faced included training-related, personal, working environment-related, and university-related challenges. It is suggested to increase IS to at least 3 months, improve students’ soft skills, incorporate entrepreneurship, and enhance industry-university collaborations to improve industrial training experience.