Internship Department Sigma + Internship Supervisor Internship Guide April 2016
Content The place of an internship in the university curriculum... 3 Various Tasks Expected in an Internship... 3 Competencies to be developed by the Intern... 4 Responsibilities of Laval University... 5 Laval University Follow-up with the Intern within the Company... 5 Role of Internship Supervisor... 6 Some Additional Advice... 7 Responsibilities of the Intern... 8 In case of problems... 9 Who to contact if in need... 9 Memory aid... 10 Page 2 of 10
The place of an internship in the university curriculum An internship 1 is a practical study step in a company followed by a study period at university. As well as using acquired knowledge through contact with companies, it allows the intern to discover company life and the world of work; its hierarchy, teamwork and its strict hours, etc. Success depends on the manner in which the intern fulfils the inherent obligations of the internship within the framework set up by the employer. Academically, an internship with a company corresponds to a micro programme of nine credits, for which the student will receive an official attestation on successful completion. This may be carried out during the summer, autumn, or winter semesters and will have a pedagogical structure given by Laval University as well as the training requirements of the supervisor within the internship environment. During the course of study a student may complete 3 internships with companies in science programmes and 4 for those in engineering. Various Tasks Expected in an Internship According to the mandate proposed by the inviting company, the intern has to actively participate in the daily life of the company. In every case, the intern is expected to understand the inner workings of professional life and to put into practice the concepts they have acquired in their study programme. Also, in general, the intern must be fully implicated in every way: by using and making available to the company competencies acquired in their programme of study and thereby contributing to the development of the aforementioned company; by being a researcher or a consultant and working as autonomously as possible and to imagine and put in place, solutions to problems which are encountered during the internship. You will find on this link, in accordance with the programme of study of your intern, a description of the course objectives as well as a non-exhaustive list of tasks and expected learning outcomes during internship in your company. It goes without saying that, the content of the proposed internship is in accordance with the defined objectives of the teaching establishment. Do not hesitate to ask your intern for their CV and their transcripts. This will enable you to better know your intern and the courses they have followed prior to undertaking the internship. 1 An internship is a period during which a student pursues a temporary activity in a company for training purposes and is subject to a formal evaluation by the teaching establishment. Page 3 of 10
Competencies to be developed by the Intern To be in contact with the professional milieu and to have the possibility to put into practice their acquired theoretical knowledge from their study programme. 2 Finally, to reinforce the intern s competencies, knowledge and savoir-faire, the internship should allow the student to develop and improve, among other things, the following elements.3 You will be invited to comment on the following elements during your mid-internship evaluation as well as at the end to be able to assess their improvement. Communication Aptitudes Read, speak, listen, understand and write effective design reports and documents and to clearly state and give directives. Indicators o Write formal and informal documents (content, style and spelling) o Structured and concise ideas and proposals during professional exchanges o Quality of listening skills and clear, plain language o During informal exchanges: proposals expressed appropriately and use of suitable vocabulary Ability to work alone and in a team Ability to function efficiently, alone, or as part of a team, and to be able to work within a multidisciplinary context. Indicators o Organisation, planning and managing priorities o Leadership o Quality of reports to management and personnel o Ability to interact with other members of the team including the team supervisor o Active participation in advancing team work Professionalism Ability to respect company rules and to take care to serve clients well and show enthusiasm. Indicators o Motivation, interest and careful perseverance o Sense of responsibility o Punctuality and appropriate communication 2. For more details about the intern s study programme and consequently the tasks to prioritise during the internship, please consult the link. 3. If given the opportunity during the internship Page 4 of 10
Ethics and Deontology Show honesty, recognize shortcomings, use work hours professionally and not for personal reasons. Indicators o Integration in the environment, adaptation to the organisation; to its rules and politics o Demonstration of individual responsibility o Sense of ethics Responsibilities of Laval University The teaching institution is responsible for: Defining the objectives of the internship and assuring that the proposed internship is suitable Assisting the student in their search for an internship Preparing the student for the internship Assuring a follow-up of the student during their internship by assigning an employment counsellor who will make sure that the internship runs smoothly and makes available the necessary tools for the student to appreciate the quality of the internship. Guide and counsel the student in carrying out the expected requirements during and at the end of the internship; to eventually organize an oral presentation for their defense by allowing a representative from the company to participate. Laval University Follow-up with the Intern within the Company From the moment the intern begins their company internship an employment counsellor from the Placement Service at Laval University (SPLA) assigned to the interns study programme will be available to respond to questions and difficulties either by the intern or the supervisor. Between the 5 th and the 8 th week of the internship there will be a visit to the company. The purpose of the visit is to: o assure that the internship is both satisfactory for the student and supervisor; o to discuss what has been accomplished up to that moment; o to have an exchange about the intern s strengths and how to improve any weaknesses, o to clarify the objectives of the supervisor and expectations of the student from the beginning of the internship up to the end. A meeting will be convened ten days before a visit to the company along with a mid-term evaluation questionnaire to be completed during a company visit. The SPLA counsellor is an important collaborator during the whole internship. To adequately provide a support role they must be kept informed of any difficulties encountered during the internship and to find satisfactory solutions for both parties. Page 5 of 10
Role of Internship Supervisor Your role is not to judge the intern but more to provide a framework for them to accomplish their mandate, to reinforce their technical competencies and to help in adopting behaviour and attitudes favourable in their professional career. With your experience and expertise you will undoubtedly be able to help the intern improve. It is advisable to meet with the intern during the internship: so that, the intern can adequately plan the work we suggest that you meet at the beginning of the internship to show how the company is structured, to inform about current rules, and to discuss the mandate and tasks you expect to be completed. mid-way through the internship, to assess the work that has been completed and to prepare for the visit to the company by the internship coordinator from Laval University; periodically, throughout the internship to assess with the intern, their progress; at the end of the internship, do a final assessment and point out the intern s achievements as well as areas for improvement for future professional experiences. You are also invited to: Contact the SPLA counselor at (STAGES.FSG@SPLA.ULAVAL.CA or at 418-656-3575, extension 8771) to send any modifications to previously sent information. evaluate the intern during their internship: o Four to five weeks after the beginning of the internship you will receive a one page evaluation form to be completed. This evaluation essentially assures, right from the beginning of the internship, that everything is going as planned. It is strongly advised to profit from this follow-up by meeting the student and giving a complete update so that, if need be, any mis-information can be rectified. o At the end of the internship you will have another evaluation form to complete. This final evaluation verifies competencies, abilities developed and observed during the internship which highlights any constructive criticism expressed. Here are some recommendations to help you in your role: Before evaluating the intern, gather observations from other members of the team who have worked regularly with the student. Also, ask and meet with the intern to discuss the fixed objectives at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the internship. When first meeting the intern, remind him that the objective is not to judge him but more to make him aware of the behaviour and attitude that you appreciate and to realise the advantages of improving, (use a coaching approach). If you have not seen some of the behaviours, put a tick by impossible to say. Even though the intern cannot be evaluated on those points, by discussing it with him it will make him realise it is important. Take advantage of this occasion to find out their level of satisfaction with the internship. Page 6 of 10
Finally, and in most cases 3, an end of internship report is requested by the intern; see the report, steps for mid-internship. These reports are evaluated by a person mandated by the Department of Internship at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Laval University. To avoid errors and breach of confidentiality it is recommended that the intern has the report revised by the internship supervisor before submitting it to Laval University. Depending on the programmes and the type of internship courses, the form and content of the requirements demanded of the intern may vary. Some Additional Advice On arrival introduce the intern to all the technical and support personnel, show him around to help him feel comfortable and make it easier to integrate in the company and have access to necessary information. Inform the intern about the rules, work hours, dress code, use of cellular phone and access to the internet, etc. Warn the intern about current company rules governing health and security. Be available and present during the first days or first weeks, depending on the length of the internship, by guiding and counselling to help acquire necessary competencies for completing tasks. Once the intern becomes more autonomous your supervision will eventually not be so necessary. Suggest to interns to make a short written or verbal summary at the end of the first few weeks of the internship to be sure they understand well what they have done and to give them the occasion to ask questions. Verify weekly to assure that the intern is on the right track. Do not hesitate to verify their comprehension by asking questions which will cause them to reflect. Gradually increase their and responsibilities. If the intern s out-put is satisfactory, let him know. This will be encouraging and motivating and help in the learning process. If the intern s out-put is unsatisfactory, meet him as soon as possible to re-evaluate and readjust within the framework of the objectives and the activities of the internship. Regularly gather the observations of the other team members to be able to better follow the intern. 3 It is advised to verify with the intern the requirements explained in the internship course plan in which he is enrolled. Page 7 of 10
Responsibilities of the Intern It is primarily the intern s responsibility for the quality of his learning during the internship, he must: conform to the conditions of the work and the rules of the company: hours, security, punctuality, and confidentiality, etc. respect the code of conduct during internship; be sure that he completely understands his mandate from the beginning of the internship and validate the expectations of the supervisor and make sure he understands; complete the objectives and be available for tasks which are given to him; respect the demands of confidentiality outlined by the company; conform to the health and safety precautions of the company; take the appropriate initiative to rapidly integrate in the company; at the beginning of the internship, write your personal objectives in doing the internship from the point of view of attitude and behaviour and how it is related to tasks which are assigned to you in the framework of the internship ( add a link to the guide summary of internship objectives); advise, as soon as possible, the SPLA (stages.fsg@spla.ulaval.ca or 418-656-3575, extension 8771) in case of problems, changes to the initial agreement, or any problem which arises during the internship; regularly check the information about internships at the institutions email address @ulaval.ca; interns must complete internship appreciation forms in the middle and at the end of the internship the intern is obliged to complete an evaluation of the internship, submit the required documents, hold an oral presentation if necessary, and respect the deadlines. Page 8 of 10
In case of problems The majority of internships go smoothly and without difficulty. The internship supervisors and the interns are generally very satisfied. However, sometimes there are problems which arise: conflict of personality, misunderstanding of tasks, a mandate which fails to take place, an internship supervisor unavailable, inadequate attitude of the intern, learning difficulties, etc. There may be several causes at the origin of these situations: a discordance between the profile of the intern and the demands of the task, unforeseen changes in the mandate, colleagues resigning, resulting in an overload of work for the internship supervisor, too high expectations about the internship on the part of the intern or, on the contrary, too high expectations of the supervisor towards the intern. If this is the case, contact the employment counsellor (stages.fsg@spla.ulava.ca or 418-656-3575, extension 8771) at the first sign of a difficult situation, no matter what it is. The earlier you do this the better it will be for everyone. Who to contact if in need The placement service at Laval University, in case of a behavioural problem with an intern, information about the modalities of the internship (length, tax credit, etc..) lateness or absenteeism, not respecting the rules of the company, etc. o stages.fsg@spla.ulava.ca or 418-656-3575,extension 8771 The internship department for questions pertaining to internship course requirements, the evaluation forms during the middle and end of the internship, and the post internship oral presentation, etc. o stages@fsg.ulava.ca or 418-656-2131,extension 3360 Thank you for sending all communication by email. Page 9 of 10
Memory aid 4 This memorandum will allow you to plan the various steps of the internship. We invite you to refer to the guide for further details about the steps and activities and also to take note of the advice that is given. Internship Steps Activities Personal Deadlines Plan welcome and integration Preparation for arrival of intern of intern Organize work environment Comments Have an initial meeting with the intern Welcome and integration Supervision and Welcome and integration activities for the intern Given the fact that supervision and training takes place throughout the internship, it is not really a step, therefore, there are no specific activities. However, we strongly suggest you: Assess mid- way End of internship Complete the mid-internship evaluation form the fifth week of the internship Complete the end of internship evaluation form Consider the possibilities of assisting in the internship seminar of your intern. 4 This memorandum is destined to inspire the good habits of the internship supervisor. Secretariat du Conseil du tresor. Government of Quebec Page 10 of 10