Why are internships on the rise in the UAE?

Every student or fresh graduate who has ever wanted to launch their career, which is every single one of them, is all too familiar with the difficulty of securing an entry-level job.

This struggle opened up a new approach to starting careers – with the help of internships. Internships began to act as springboards for university students and fresh graduates to get their foot in the door.

While the idea of internships is still fairly new in the UAE, it is rapidly gaining traction as more students and graduates enter the workforce, at earlier stages in their academic/professional career.

Employers require some prior knowledge

With the rising interest in internships and career-placements, more employers are cautious about who they bring into their organization. Aside from factors like personality, culture-fit, and work ethic, a little bit of experience is now becoming mandatory.

This benefits both the student and the employer. Employers are willing to invest a lot of time and resources into young talent if they’re able to get a small amount of reassurance that that candidate will have the foundation needed to mold into their ideal team member. On the flip side, candidates are encouraged to push themselves earlier in their academic careers to expand their skill set to secure the best opportunities in the future.

It’s estimated that 65 percent of children entering kindergarten this year, in 2018, will work in jobs that don’t exist yet. It’s safe to say by the time those kindergartners enter the workforce, their employers are going to have to require them to have a certain level of knowledge about their industry/work – that the employers won’t necessarily have themselves.

Internships are a requirement in today’s economy

Applicants who have done an internship in the past have a higher chance of landing a full time job after graduation. Internships are becoming a prerequisite to a job, across all industries and departments. Students and graduates who have internship experience have more knowledge of professional work style, better communication skills, higher adaptability to work cultures etc.

Employers recognize, appreciate, and are increasingly reliant on interns

Interns bring creativity, flexibility, and a fresh perspective. Full-time or senior-level employees are often overwhelmed with work – therefore when extra support in the form of an intern comes along, they are quick to offload many smaller responsibilities, and learning opportunities, to them. This creates a culture of responsibility and trust but also dependence – which, if removed, can cause disturbance and burnt-out employees.

Interns are passionate and eager to take on smaller tasks as learning opportunities and the chance to lead full projects.

Students and graduates are able to see the benefits now too

Internships are not a one-way street. While the employers benefit greatly from having young talent supporting them, interns themselves recognize the significant value of participating in internships and graduate programs. The opportunity to learn, network, lead, and communicate are vast. For many, it’s an exciting way to explore what stands beyond the degree.