Ideas and ideals

Skills for work

Internship ideas and ideals

l What do students expect of internships during the pandemic? l The 15-19-year-olds in this group want careers in either healthcare or social work. l Most are unsure about working remotely but still see the benefits of being a virtual intern.

l 在疫情期間實習，學生對此有何期望？

l 本文受訪者為15至19歲學生，他們希望投身於醫療或社會工作行業。

l 整體來說，他們對遙距工作抱觀望態度，但對於能夠參與虛擬實習，仍覺 獲益良多。

Henson says getting work experience should be about “learning how to build workplace relationships,” and that’s not easy in a virtual setting.

Stella thinks it is easier and cheaper to learn online “but the real experience of working would be missing.”

Reginald is wary of being exploited. “Some student interns are given mindless grunt work,” he points out, bringing to mind the stereotype of a young intern making the coffee and operating the paper shredder, but this doesn’t happen if they work remotely.

Brian points out that in virtual internships, students may lose focus because they are not being directly supervised. “As a result, they can be less efficient and the internship is less effective.”

Rana says written instructions for tasks to be done at home can be confusing unless a real person is available for clarification, but she appreciates one unexpected bonus. “Every participant in a virtual internship should get equal attention,” something that can be lacking in real-life, given group dynamics.

Jony wants to become a speech therapist and despite her ideal of a 100% face-to-face internship, likes the idea of remote work. “It would more flexible despite the obvious drawback of no opportunity to become familiar with a real working environment.”

Bernice wants to be a youth social worker and would prefer an internship that is mostly face-to-face. “I hope to apply what I have learned in class to a virtual internship and think it would be less stressful but I also want to finding out about attitudes in the workplace.”

Emily, another social worker-to-be, wants problemsolving and teamwork skills through supervised, hands-on practice but she admits the attractions of working virtually. “I would be more comfortable than if I had to express my ideas rather than face to face.”

How secondary students find internships

• Some secondary schools organize internships for their students. • Youth NGOs like HKFYG run programmes that offer work experience in partnership with large corporations. • Students who have a preferred company or organization in mind make contact directly. • Searching online is another option but care is needed, especially when looking overseas.