ERIC Number: EJ1293357
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2227-7102
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Available Date: N/A
International Industrial Internship: A Case Study from a Japanese Engineering University Perspective
Tan, Wai Kian; Umemoto, Minoru
Education Sciences, v11 Article 156 2021
In this globalization-focused era, the demand for globalized engineers in the creation of borderless societies is increasing. Despite the initiatives by the Japanese government to promote internalization through increasing the intake of foreign students, the exposures gained by the Japanese students from these programs are minimal. For years, internship has been used globally as a platform for training and educating future engineers, but only a few studies have examined the proactive transformation from domestic to international internship. International internships overseas offer a completely new dimension of experiences when carried out in multicultural environments. This article reports and offers evidence of a Japanese engineering university's rapid global internship reform strategy toward the expansion of international internships in Malaysia. This paper provides insights into the process, from initial setup to implementation of the internship program covering all the necessary preparation and support. From the establishment of an overseas collaboration base and rapport building with hosting industries, the systematic steps taken are reported. Regarding the internship program, feedback from Japanese engineering students who completed their internships show improved satisfaction due to continuous improvement of the internship program with progressing years. It was also discovered that the low participation rate in overseas internship by Japanese students is not due to their inward-looking temperament, but due to the lack of internship program availability that is administered with sufficient preparation enabling them to challenge themselves in a new environment. The challenges encountered in the program, and the sustainable improvements made in alignment with sustainable development goals toward equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong learning are also stated. In this paper, the future perspectives and outlook of internships are also described considering today's rapid technological advancements and the fast-changing needs of industries, which require future internship programs to have flexible approaches and ideologies.
Descriptors: Engineering Education, Internship Programs, Global Approach, Cultural Pluralism, Study Abroad, Foreign Countries, International Cooperation, Feedback (Response), Student Attitudes, Undergraduate Students, Student Participation, Personality Traits, Barriers, Educational Quality, Futures (of Society), Case Studies, Program Descriptions, Industry
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
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Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Japan; Malaysia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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