A number of tertiary courses require students to undertake a period of unpaid work at art institution or organisation as part of their programme. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this? type of course requirement? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

A number of tertiary courses require students to undertake a period of unpaid work at art institution or organisation as part of their programme. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this? type of course requirement? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. As part of a varied and stimulating curriculum, many universities and tertiary providers often offer student internships with companies or other organisations as a component of study. This trend has both benefits and drawbacks. One of the mam advantages is that an internship in an appropriate place ofTers students the chance to integrate their theory and knowledge in a real-life, practical setting. The example of student doctors and nurses illustrates the value of practical internships: how else would students learn to practise medicine but in an authentic, supervised context? In addition, internships and practicum placements can often lead to a job opportunity for the student upon graduating, or at the very least, a good set of contacts for the commencement of their professional life. In terms of assessment it also gives the university a clear picture of how the student is progressing against industry standards, and whether the course is meeting the needs of that particular industry. However, there are several disadvantages to these types of placements. First of all, universities can sometimes have difficulty in securing good quality, suitable placements for their students or, even worse, students are left to their own devices to arrange a placement. This is unsatisfactory and puts students at a disadvantage. As well as this, sometimes students in these types of placements get used to doing menial task which are well beneath their capabilities, simply because they are perceived as inexperienced and incapable. To conclude, student placements arc an excellent way to provide practical experience and support our future professionals to gain the skills they need to succeed, but these placements must be monitored and facilitated carefully.