What Core Competence Can Students Learn from Off-Campus Internship?

The purpose of this study is to determine the viewpoints of the industry and academe on core competencies expected of students after completing offcampus internships and the gap in expectations and realizations. Results show that compared to the academia, the industry gave greater emphasis to core competencies. The "general core" competency dimension consist of two competencies: "Understanding the overview of internship institution operations" and "Understanding guild regulations." the "professional core" competency dimension consists of three competencies: "Related system testing and application competency," "The ability to collect and analyze data" and "The ability to discover practical and technical problems". It is suggested that schools should set up an off-campus internship counseling unit to equip students with internationalization, globalization and industry and community-based work experiences. Skills, attitude, and behaviors are emphasized in learning how to manage workplaces in different fields, thereby assisting students in gaining an insight into and planning their careers. Schools should also regularly make arrangement for instructors to go to companies for professional or technology-related seminars or researches, thereby enhancing the practical teaching competency of instructors.