Bridge to the Professional World: Students’ Perceptions on Industrial Training Program’s Efficacy and Obstacles

Abstract

Industrial training program for students is a crucial component of the academic curriculum at most universities in Malaysia.  The training is designed to reinforce theoretical and academic concepts by putting them into practice in real work scenarios.   Recognizing the critical importance of exposing undergraduates to the workforce as a strategic measure for securing employment after graduation, most educational institutions in the country have emphasized the need for industrial training programs. This paper aims to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the industrial training program at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, specifically the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, as perceived by students, and to provide insightful suggestions for enhancing its overall effectiveness. The study adopts the thematic analysis approach as its methodology.  Data were collected through intern students’ written reports and only the strengths and weaknesses of the internship program were focussed on. The elements for strengths were communication skills, problem-solving and critical thinking, independence and confidence, multi-tasking and time management, teamwork, technical skills, adaptability and networking and professionalism while the elements for weaknesses were excessive workload, limited access, mismatch of tasks to field of study, lack of guidance and training and inflexible work arrangement. It is suggested for the university and organizations to have a formal discussion in order to address the issues faced by both the interns and the organizations concerned.