EnterMode virtual internships

As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work and interact with each other. Quarantine and travel restrictions have made virtual working essential and, in most cases, mandatory. The current situation has showed us that virtual and distance working is the future and we all need to adapt to this changed reality.

In this context, the EnterMode project consortium has decided to envisage the organisation of virtual internships, to test the EnterMode Model and Guide.

Virtual internships offer many benefits for all actors. Students do not need to relocate to acquire work experience and can save money since travelling is not required. Furthermore, virtual internships offer flexibility, since the students can design their own daily schedule. From the company perspective, virtual internships offer reduced costs for equipment and resources and a larger pool of talents to be discovered.

However, for a virtual internship to be successful, all involved actors should take into account that enough time should be allocated in order to:

• select the right means of managing the work done by the student (e.g. the proper software, the proper means of communication etc.)
• design how mentoring and guidance will be provided to the student (e.g. time schedule for online meetings between student and mentor, virtual meetings between the student and other members of staff etc.)
• create a workplan, set learning outcomes and define responsibilities of the student. Expectations and goals of the internship should also be defined at the beginning and regularly be updated during the internship.

To facilitate the process of applying the EnterMode during virtual internships, a guide has been created, which is supplementary to the EnterMode Internship Model and the Mentor’s Guide. The virtual internship’s guide will soon be available for download at https://entermode.eu/outputs/