Perceived quality of internships and employability perceptions: The mediating role of career-entry worries

Ebner K, Soucek R, Selenko E (2021)


Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2021

Journal

URI: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ET-02-2020-0037/full/html

DOI: 10.1108/ET-02-2020-0037

Abstract

This study illuminates the assumption that internships facilitate labor market entry and answers the question of why internships have a positive effect on students’ self-perceived employability. It is assumed that internships enable more positive employability perceptions by reducing career-entry worries – the worries of not finding a suitable job or not being able to obtain a satisfactory career. A two-wave study among graduate students currently in an internship investigated these relationships. Data on career-entry worries, perceived employability and an evaluation of the internship were collected from 80 students (mean age: 24.6 years, 68% female) from various fields of study aiming at both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. The results showed that positively-evaluated internships contributed to graduates’ self-perceived employability by means of reduced career-entry worries over an eight week period. By considering graduates’ career-entry worries – the perceived uncertainty about finding an ‘appropriate’ career in the future – the authors introduce a new concept to the career literature and show that these worries are significant in terms of self-assessed employability.

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How to cite

APA:

Ebner, K., Soucek, R., & Selenko, E. (2021). Perceived quality of internships and employability perceptions: The mediating role of career-entry worries. Education and Training. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-02-2020-0037

MLA:

Ebner, Katharina, Roman Soucek, and Eva Selenko. "Perceived quality of internships and employability perceptions: The mediating role of career-entry worries." Education and Training (2021).

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