Education and industry have long demonstrated the substantial benefits derived from practical workplace internships. Studica Internships enables these valuable workplace experiences to take place at the employer’s site (onsite) or online within a classroom or from the comfort of the students dorm or home potentially a world away. This is also known as the Virtual Internship. With Virtual Internships all participants – Employers, Educators, and Student Interns can potentially interact in a rewarding, efficient, effective, and productive manner without disturbing the established routines of their respective situations. Students and Educators can access the database of student internships and employment opportunities.

All participants – Employers, Educators and Student Interns – are able to interact in a rewarding, efficient, effective and productive manner without disturbing the established routines of their respective situations. The Virtual Internship model is designed to provide each of the participants involved full control over the nature of their particular role.

Employers must:

• Provide reasonable opportunities for the Student Intern to gain experience.
• Regularly review and assess the Student Intern’s progress and to verify the Student Intern’s training activities.
• Confer with the Student Intern’s Educator about the Student Intern’s progress.
• Provide guidance and motivation to enhance the Student Intern’s growth.

The Educator is critical to the quality of a Student Intern’s training. The Educator supervises the intern on a daily basis and regularly assesses the quality of work performed supporting and advising Student Interns as they fulfill their responsibilities.

Educators must:

• Provide reasonable opportunities for the Student Intern to gain experience.
• Meet regularly with the Student Intern to review and assess the Student Intern’s progress and to verify the Student Intern’s training activities.
• Suggest additional training, supplemental educational activities and additional opportunities for the Student Intern to demonstrate expanded capabilities.
• Confer with the Student Intern’s Employer about the Student Intern’s progress.
• Provide guidance and motivation to enhance the Student Intern’s growth.

Student Interns are responsible for gaining the comprehensive experience that will satisfy their school’s requirements. Student Interns are solely responsible for the periodic documentation of their experience.

Student Interns must:

• Document their experiences for the Employer’s and Educator’s review and verification.
• Meet regularly with the Educator to review and assess their progress.
• Pursue additional opportunities for training and supplementary education.

The success of the program rests directly on the need for all participants – Employers, Educators and Student Interns – to experience positive individual gains based on their participation

Employers will benefit from Studica Internships by:

• Establishing personal contact with capable students who are developing skills directly applicable to their industry and represent possible future employees,
• Developing an understanding of the capabilities of the next generation of potential employees that is based on a broader (nation-wide) sampling than that available through traditional in-house co-operative education experiences,
• Establishing an active connection to the education community to both enable them to be aware of current in-school practices and to potentially influence future curriculum design, and
• Exploring new applications without committing in-house resources while taping into the Student Intern’s expertise.

Participation in Studica Internships is:

• Cost effective on a financial basis. There is no commitment of in-house resources such as computer workstations or software.
• Cost effective on a time management basis. Employers can respond to Student Intern and Educator e-mail and can schedule chat room conferences at their convenience.
• Organized on a project-by-project basis. Employers define the terms of the internship opportunity.

Educators will benefit from Studica Internships by:

• Accessing a valuable resource to enrich their school's learning environment,
• Expanding the learning opportunities available to their students to include industries not necessarily available in their local community, and
• Establishing an active connection to the industrial community to enable them to be aware of current industry practices and to potentially influence future curriculum design.

Participation in Studica Internships is:

• Cost effective on a financial basis. Educators can supervise Student Interns within the local school environment without incurring any expenses associated with their being away from school during the school day.
• Cost effective on a time management basis. Educators can supervise Student Interns within the local school environment without losing of contact time with the remainder of their students.
• Organized on a project-by-project basis. Educators have the opportunity to select internship opportunities that either already fit their existing curricula or modify their curricula to fit the internship opportunity.

Student Interns will benefit from Studica Internships by:

• Obtaining a first-hand experience with the workplace in an area directly related to the interests and program of studies, and
• Developing industry contacts that could be directly beneficial as the source of references on a resume.

Participation in Studica Internships is:

• Cost effective on a financial basis. Student Interns do not have the expense of traveling to and dressing for the workplace.
• Cost effective on a time management basis. Student Interns do not require specialized timetables and can use both scheduled in-class time and time after class to use the required hardware and software available at their school.
• Organized on a project-by-project basis. Student Interns have the opportunity to review expectations before committing to an internship opportunity.

The relationship between the Employer, Educator and Student Intern is initiated by any of the three parties posting employment opportunities, or resumes that they would be interested in initiating. Online Student Interns remain in their school using school-based equipment under the supervision of the Educator.