UP paper wants better, not just busier, internships

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

A new policy paper proposes a national framework to ensure quality internship programs in the Philippines by establishing measurable standards for host training establishments and strengthening collaboration between universities and industry partners.

The discussion paper titled “Proposed Quality Internship Framework for Host Training Establishments (HTEs)” was authored by Priscilla Mizpah P. Santillana, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Batangas.

It was published under the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies’ Discussion Paper Series.

The paper argued that current internship arrangements often prioritize administrative compliance over educational value, resulting in inconsistent training quality and limited alignment between academic objectives and workplace experience.

“Internship programs implementation protocols often prioritize administrative compliance over pedagogical effectiveness,” the paper noted.

Internships are considered a critical component of higher education because they connect classroom learning with real-world work environments.

According to the paper, work-integrated learning, including internships, apprenticeships and on-the-job training, helps improve graduate employability, practical skills, adaptability and industry readiness.

In the Philippines, student internships are governed by the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) Memorandum Order No. 104, series of 2017, also known as the Revised Guidelines for the Student Internship Program.

The policy outlines responsibilities for higher education institutions, host companies, student interns and other stakeholders.

However, the study found that many existing partnerships between schools and companies remain transactional, often limited to formal agreements rather than strategic collaboration.

“While expected to be a strong manifestation of collaboration between academe and industry, the course often becomes merely a common denominator in memoranda of agreement (MOAs), rather than an actual product of synergy between the HEI and HTE,” the paper stated.

The paper identified several gaps in current internship practices, including subjective interpretations of host company requirements, a lack of measurable quality indicators, weak coordination between schools and industry partners and limited use of internship data for curriculum improvement.

It also noted that host organizations often design internship training plans independently, without formal collaboration with universities, leading to a misalignment between internship activities and academic program objectives.

To address these issues, the paper proposes a “Quality Internship Framework” based on Daniel Stufflebeam’s Context, Input, Process and Product evaluation model.

The CIPP model outlines four major components: context, which requires host organizations to demonstrate credibility, accreditation and alignment with the goals of both students and educational institutions; input, which focuses on the design of internship programs, including collaborative curriculum mapping, structured mentorship and discipline-specific learning activities; process, which emphasizes safe and structured implementation, including skills development training, student welfare mechanisms and participatory evaluation involving both schools and host companies; and product, which evaluates internship outcomes through data analysis, reporting and the use of results to improve academic programs and strengthen industry partnerships.

According to the paper, establishing clear indicators and evaluation tools can transform companies hosting interns from simple training venues into “certified pedagogical partners.”

The paper recommended that CHED adopt the framework as a national benchmark for accrediting internship providers and integrate its principles into program-specific policies and standards.

It also suggested that higher education institutions institutionalize collaborative governance with industry partners and develop co-authored internship training plans to ensure alignment between academic outcomes and workplace training.

The paper further recommended government incentives, such as possible tax benefits, for companies that meet quality internship standards and provide structured mentorship and training programs for students.

Ultimately, it concluded that improving internship quality requires stronger coordination between academia and industry.

“Ensuring quality in internships requires moving beyond signed MOAs. It demands a shared commitment to a unified teaching and learning process where the industry serves not just as a host, but as a true partner in education,” the paper said.