Internships are increasingly popular in higher education (Coco, 2000; Divine et al., 2007). One reason for the increase is the benefits, both perceived and documented, associated with them (Divine et al., 2007). In addition to offering internships as electives, some programs have even begun requiring them of all students (Klein & Weiss, 2011). The policy change from elective to required internships has been evaluated very little, if at all, even though mandatory internships result in a substantial increase in cost and commitment for the departments that implement them (Divine et al., 2007). This study analyzed survey and interview data from students (past and present) who participated in a required internship through an Equine Science and Management degree program at a major land grant institution that adopted a mandatory internship requirement in 2007. The intent of the study was to deepen the understanding of the effects of a mandatory internship policy in higher education from the students’ perspective. Specifically of interest were the benefits students gain from participating in mandatory internships, their perception of the mandatory internship policy, and whether the primary reason students participated in an internship influenced the experience. A mixed-methods approach was used to identify statistically significant results and provide an in-depth understanding of the results. This study revealed that the vast majority of students who participated in a mandatory internship recognized a variety of benefits from it, viewed the experience as beneficial, and supported the policy of requiring internships. It was demonstrated that mandatory internships can empower students and aid in their professionalization. Participants also credited their internship more than their overall undergraduate experience for better preparing them at several important career skills including problem solving, job interviewing, networking, resume writing, oral presentation, interpersonal communication, and written communication. Furthermore, this study identified several statistically significant relationships between the primary reason students participated in an internship and how beneficially they view it, how much they believe it contributed to their current job, and how well it prepared them at specific career skills. The results of this study provide insight into the benefits of a mandatory internship policy from the students’ perspective.

The purpose of this study was to assess technology use, on-the-job technology training, education levels, and salary ranges of employees in low-, middle-, and high- skill jobs in a rural county in East Tennessee to create an example of a small town workforce. For this study, technology included computers, robotics, and mobile technology. A survey determined the technology used, training provided, salaries, and job skill levels based on education obtained and required by major employers. The study identified the level of jobs requiring more technology skills and salaries or training related to these job skill levels. Participants included 336 persons who completed an electronic survey. Participants represented twenty-eight different companies in healthcare, education, manufacturing, banking, and other small businesses in an East Tennessee rural county. The major findings of the study included: a) use of multiple forms of technology in all job skill levels; b) more time spent in on-the-job training for higher job skill levels; c) participants in lower job skill levels more likely to be overqualified for their position; d) participants in higher paying jobs used more types of technology; and e) participants in higher skill level jobs tend to have higher salaries. The study concluded that, while technology affected all skill levels, there was a significantly positive relationship between salary, technology use, technology training, and job skill level.

The objective of this work was to analyze the career skills of students of the Faculty of Economics of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice in relation to the subsequent career of graduates in selected work positions. The thesis works with the database of personality test results of students and with the database of graduate students. The work is examining whether there are statistical differences between the students of different study programs. Results of soft skills of graduates are compared to soft skills established by NSP.