Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia

1. Internship Orientation Seminar

• An internship orientation seminar for students should
be conducted at least twice before the start of the
internship program.
• In these orientation seminars, the UNIVERSTY
INDUSTRUY LINKAGE and TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER DIRECTORATE and the department
internship advisors are expected to orient the interns in
respective departments on the important points of the
internship and related matters.
• Time schedule for orientation will be adjusted
accordingly considering the situation.
 2. Basics of Internship
• Internship is an opportunity for a student to gain practice in a real world of
work under the guidance of a conversant and experienced supervisors.
• It is an integral part of the curriculum and learning activity of Wolaita Sodo
University and thus every student of our university is required to complete a
program of study that for most may include a compulsory internship.
• The objective of the internship is to produce qualified, disciplined motivated
and practice oriented students. Internships should provide the students with
valuable insights into the professional and industry-oriented side of their field
of study.
• It should enable students to put into practice the skills, techniques, and
knowledge of their theoretical lessons that are important for success in their
future work places .
• In addition to this it may create opportunity for them to identify thematic area
and get title for their final year project work.
• The internship is intended for one semester, approximately 16 weeks, which
will begin, based on the specific condition of the department, semester of the
five years engineering program.
• College of Engineering in Wolaita Sodo University strongly believes in the
valuable and complementary experience that internship activity can provide
to engineering students.
 i. The primary purposes of an internship:
• To add value to the educational experience of students.
• To provide a link between theory and practice.
• To provide an experiential learning opportunity for students
to apply the concepts, knowledge and skills gained to real
world situations.
• To increase the marketability of students for future
employment.
• To develop an awareness of community, economic and
social issues in a global society.
• To acquire experiences gained through actual
business/customer and employer/employee relationships.
• To develop communication and critical thinking skills
 ii. Advantages to the Student:
• Affords the opportunity to explore and verify career
interests and competencies in an actual job situation.
• Establishes desirable work habits and attitudes while
developing a sense of responsibility.
• Promotes personal success, which may motivate interest in
other school subjects and activities.
• Enhances the ability of the student to develop a post-high
school plan for continuing education
• Offers special learning experiences that could not be
provided within the confines of a classroom.
• Enables classroom-learning experiences to become more
relevant and meaningful.
• Provides the opportunity for possible employment at the
internship site upon graduation.
 iii. Advantages to the Industry/Company/ Institutions:

• Enables industry/company/institutions to grow future

workforce.
• Affords industry/company/institutions the opportunity to
influence program curriculum so that Skills/knowledge
that is important in the field may be taught.
• Training or orientation costs may be reduced if the
industry/company/institutions hire students after the
Internship period ends.
• Help to create formal working relation between
university and industry/organization.
 3. Safety questions and important information
An intern has to obey strictly the rules and regulations of the hosting
organization and therefore has to discuss potential risks associated with
performing internship duties and responsibilities with his/her internship
supervisor prior to your start date.
• Ask internship company supervisor to outline the appropriate safety
precautions and job techniques prior to the start date.
• Be punctual in reporting for work and follow instructions issued by
supervisor/s.
• Not to remove or take away any item belonging to the hosting organization
without permission.
• No vacation leave is allowed during internship period. However, special
leaves such as own sick leaves evidenced by a doctor, immediate family
death cases evidenced by Kebele or Woreda, interns own marriage,
maternity, participation in nationally recognized event are acceptable.
• Contact your department advisor/UNIVERSTY INDUSTRY LINKAGE and
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER DIRECTORATE immediately regarding safety
questions or any concerns.
 4. interns/students Responsibilities during
internship
• Consulting with department internship advisor to set due
dates for activity reports;
• Performing all internship duties and/or activity will be
assigned by the supervisor/s (the student must be
safety conscious while on the internship, following all
safety rules and directives of the internship supervisor,
and assumes full responsibility for the consequences of
his/her actions);
• Submitting the internship activity reports as per the time
line set by department/UIL-TTD;
 Cont…
• Completing final report after conclusion of internship
and submitting copies of each to the department
Internship Advisor;
• Presenting summarized activity report including;
 Discussion on company/organization background and function;
 Discussion on his daily activities and responsibilities;
 Discussion on the quality of technical experience and skills he
learned;
 Discussion on the technical problems identified (in collaboration
with the industry) which is brought to the university to find
appropriate solution through further study and
research
• The date and place of presentation will be notified by
the department and/or department internship advisor.
In the presentation session, college deans,
concerned department staffs, university industry
linkage and technology transfer directorate
director, students and other interested individuals
could be invited.
 Cont…
1. A semester working hours of 560 – 600 hours is
required in internship program activity.
2. An intern is not allowed to change his placement during
training period unless he gets a written permission from
the department advisor, UIL-TTD which is based on his
application and/or report to department advisor, UIL-
TTD when the company unable to sustain it.
3. Internship program is for the benefit of the student
intern. The employer and the student intern
understands that there is no wage entitlement for the
time spent in training.
4. The intern cannot displace regular employees and is not
necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the
training period.
5. More than 10 days absent or more than 15 days late
will be automatically Incomplete.
 5. The department internship advisor is
responsible for:
• Checking with the student intern about possible safety
concerns;
• Assisting the student with questions/concerns as they arise;
• Coordinating the orientation sessions;
• Coordinating the Internship Forum in which students
present his/her internship experience;
• Evaluating the internship experience by considering the
following and other appropriate factors:
a) Submission of internship agreement and proposal before work
begins.
b) Internship activity reports submission as per the schedule.
c) Supervisor and student-self evaluation of the intern’s performance.
d) Advise final internship activity report in technicality and its clarity.
• Discussing with companies and helping in getting possible
internship opportunities for the department;
• Keeping files of all internships done in the department and
serving as a source of general information for students;
6. The company Supervisor is requested for:
• Providing the intern with job description, work place
expectations; and a variety of career-building work
experiences (through appropriate tours, personnel
meetings, assigned readings, etc.);
• Providing the student or intern the necessary training
to perform internship responsibilities/duties and
outlining the safety precautions and job techniques of
which the student should be aware;
• Communicating with the intern to discuss current
performance, major technical problem related to the
intern field area, progress and future work assignments
relations;
• Submitting the Intern Evaluation Reports to the
Department Advisor at the end of internship;
 7. Internship Program Evaluation
I. Company Supervisors Evaluation – Comprise 25% of the total marks
given for the students. It will be based on the supervisors’ judgments
on the quality of the student’s performances and their professional
ethics.
II. Faculty Mentors Evaluation- Comprise 35% of the total marks given for
the student. It will be based on the mentors’ assessment made on the
following things:
• The quality of the students’ learning objectives.
• Students’ monthly report
• Overall feed backs the mentors get from the company concerning
the competences of the students.
• Students’ job search skills, etc
III. Quality of the Final Report paper and Students Presentation-
Comprise 30% of the total marks given for the students. It will be
based on the quality of the report and the skill of the presentation of
the students. Oral presentation will be based on Visual, non-verbal
communication, Content, and confidence, Clarity of presentation , and
question and answer. This will be done by setting up a panel for
evaluating each and every student’s report and presentations.
 Cont…
IV. Students’ internship Attendance – Comprise 10%
of the total marks given for the students. It will be based
on the following Criteria:
– More than 10 days absent or more than 15 days late =
Incomplete.
– 6 – 10 days absent or 11 – 15 days late = -10%.
– 5 days absent or 9 – 10 days late without a legally
acceptable reason = - 8%
– 4 days absent or 7 – 8 days late without a legally acceptable
reason = - 6%
– 3 days absent or 5 – 6 days late without a legally acceptable
reason = - 4%
– 2 days absent or 3 – 4 days late without a legally acceptable
reason = -2%