Although the Covid-19 pandemic is not officially over, something resembling normality is returning to the academic life of Spain’s universities. And with it professional internships, which remain one of the most important training opportunities for young students.
After the unprecedented and challenging year where most students could not take their internships in person, the improvement of the pandemic in Spain has favoured the return to face-to-face internships for students at TBS in Barcelona.
Remote vs. face-to-face internships
Business schools, such as TBS in Barcelona, place a lot of importance on internships, where students often have first contact with the workplace. It’s an experience that allows trainees to meet other professionals from the same field of study who can guide them before starting their careers.
Although remote internships do help to develop some useful skills, such as planning, organisation, time management, self-control, problem-solving, working, and thinking independently – face-to-face internships allow students to put their knowledge into practice in the company environment. It’s a practical approach that enhances the learning experience. Also, when face-to-face with an intern, companies pay closer attention to the learning curve of trainees and are able to give them more of their time.
All considered, while remote work has its advantages, when it comes to internships it is positive to see the return to face-to-face for aspiring students.
A rise in face-to-face internships but also a rise in local opportunities
The drop in distance internships has left another interesting figure on the table: 40% of TBS’s third-year bachelor students in Barcelona carried out their internships within the country’s borders. This is partly thanks to the strong network of TBS in Barcelona’s partner companies but it was also due to the difficulty in moving internationally due to the pandemic.
The rising figure also stands out because TBS’s students, who have a very international makeup, traditionally take far more internships outside of Spain. Either in their country of origin or in other countries where they see career opportunities.
Career opportunities with on-course internship companies
But what happens after the internship is finished? What about graduates? In the case of TBS in Barcelona, the latest figures show the benefits of a return to the face-to-face approach. Of the students who graduated from the Bachelor in Management course, 31% chose to continue studying and 69% to look for a job. Of those looking for a job, 36% had already found a job before graduating. And of that 36%, 85% had been recruited by their internship company.
“Internships remain one of the greatest assets for boosting students’ careers”
That means around 30% of students looking for a job managed to find a job with an internship provider from their course. It’s a statistic that also demonstrates the excellent employability of post-internship students.
Moving forward to 2022
Of course, this year will be a year of adjustment after the lockdowns and move to working from home. But internships remain one of the greatest assets for boosting students’ careers. Students on the TBS Bachelor in Management program in Barcelona can take up to one year of professional experience through the compulsory internships that are included. These internships are vital to forge students’ talents, establish their networks and create strategic partnerships.
In the same way, it is also important that masters degree students are aware of the importance of these practice periods, too. On this front, it’s positive to see around half of the students on TBS in Barcelona’s MSc programs (such as the Master’s in Marketing) also choose to take an internship during their course – even though an internship is not compulsory.
Looking ahead, there is still some unpredictability about what the pandemic will bring in 2022. But one thing’s for sure, internships remain more important than ever to masters and bachelors students. The return to face-to-face is likely to continue and lead to benefits for trainees.
About the author: This is a sponsored post from Margarita Servera, Head of Admissions and Development at the TBS campus in Barcelona. As a leader of an admissions and commercial team and with proven success in driving campaigns, she leads on using effective methods of reaching new students in a global environment while opening new markets to target. Having finished her degree in psychology, she decided to move into the area of marketing, and she has been now working 14 years for TBS. As an innovator and open-minded professional, she is the face of the school on presentations, lectures, coachings and online sessions.
