Determinants of Internship Effectiveness: An Exploratory Model

Despite the growing popularity of internships, surprisingly little research has investigated causes of their effectiveness. We combine the findings from these studies with insights from the personnel and knowledge transfer literatures to identify the different roles of three actors students, university, and business and to propose a multistage model of determinants of effectiveness. Exploratory analysis of a portion of the model on Portuguese internships data reveals the importance of considering the respective roles of the multiple actors and of the internship process in explaining student satisfaction, but not project implementation. Using our conceptual model and these initial empirical findings, we offer recommendations for actions each actor can take to enhance internship effectiveness and lead to suggestions for researchers interested in identifying determinants of internship effectiveness.