How to improve business observation internships for middle and high school students?

It has been almost 20 years since the company observation internship was made compulsory for middle school students in third grade. Since last year, it has also been for second year high school students.

For almost two decades, third-year middle school students have been required to complete an observation internship in a company. And now, this has also been the case since last year for second year students.

franceinfo: What do interns and companies think?

Sarah Lemoine: There are positives and a lot of things to improve, as shown a vast investigation Opinionway, commissioned by Medef and the Orientation Collective. The positive thing is that the concept of an internship in a professional environment is not up for debate.

A very large majority of parents, teachers and businesses consider it beneficial. The idea appeals to middle and high school students. 92% of them liked this immersion period, perceived as a breather in their school year. Except that 6 out of 10 also say they have encountered at least one major problem.

For example ?

There are those who had difficulty asking questions, those who did not know how to behave, those who did not know what to observe, those who did not understand everything, and those who had difficulty doing the report. These problems can be explained by a lack of preparation before the internship, and of management during the internship, underlines Camille de Foucauld, of the Vers le Haut association.

“For lack of explanation, the young person who arrives in the company does not always know what is expected of him, in addition, he is intimidated and quickly lost.” And then “we must also put an end to it, she said, with the idea of ​​a pure observation course”.

According to the study, only 37% of students were assigned a small project. Make an object. Write an article. Write and conduct a customer satisfaction survey in a restaurant. When students are passive, they benefit less.

But all this necessarily requires more support?

Yes, and the number one problem for companies is obviously freeing up time for employees who take care of students. They also mention obstacles linked to staggered schedules, lack of transport, places to eat, or the difficulty also in creating suitable content.

Result: a little less than half of companies regularly welcome students, and almost a third do not wish to engage in this process. With a waist effect. Below 50 employees, the number of students welcomed drops to 3 on average compared to 12 in the largest organizations. One of the solutions, according to Medef and the Orientation Collective, would be to support companies more strongly, with common standards, particularly on the educational dimension.