Satisfaction with external internships: Do students acquire the professional skills necessary to improve their employability?

Resumen

This paper evaluates the level of satisfaction of students enrolled in the Degree in Business Administration and Management (DBAM) who have completed external internships and of the companies that have hosted them, with the aim of improving both formal and training components of these internships. The authors' findings reveal potential for improvement in the administrative management of internships, and the existence of a discrepancy between the skills acquired by undergraduates in university lecture halls and the practical skills necessary for the performance of work. There was also found to be limited potential for applying acquired knowledge during the internships. The evidence therefore suggests that the training offered by universities is not always sufficiently geared towards the demands of today's society and labour market. Nevertheless, company internships meet one of its fundamental objectives, in the form of increased employment opportunities, and this is particularly significant given the extremely high youth unemployment rate at the present time. © 2017 IGI Global.