African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance
(AJPHERD) Supplement 2 (October), 2014, pp. 102-118.
A qualitative analysis of Sport Management interns’ perceptions
of rotations in internships
J. SURUJLAL1 AND P. SERRA2
1
Faculty of Economic Sciences and Information Technology, North-West University, P.O. Box
1174, Vanderbijlpark 1900, South Africa. E-mail: Babs.Surujlal@nwu.ac.za
2
Department of Sport and Movement Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of
Johannesburg, DFC Campus, Cnr Sherwell/Beit roads, Doornfontein 2006, Johannesburg, South
Africa
Abstract
The sport industry, which has evolved into a multi-billion rand industry, offers an increased
number of complex and varied job opportunities. University Sport Management graduates are
thus likely to face greater job demands in a highly competitive work environment. Rotations in
Sport Management internships have been identified as an approach to prepare students for the job
market. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of Sport Management interns
of rotations in internship. A qualitative case study research approach was used in the study. Eight
semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with Sport Management interns who
completed their internship. The results of the study indicated that the positive experiences
associated with the internship outweighed the negative experiences. Participants reported many
benefits of rotations in internship. Among these were their experiences of different aspects of a
sport organisation, exposure to different leadership styles, opportunity to apply their theoretical
knowledge in the workplace, social issues in the workplace and development of different
competencies. The findings also identified areas in which the internship experience could be
strengthened. Given the great satisfaction experienced by interns, rotations in interns appear to be
an ideal replacement to the traditional implementation of internship.
Keywords: Rotations, Sport Management, internship, competencies workplace.
How to cite this article:
Surujlal, J. & Serra, P. (2014). A qualitative analysis of Sport Management interns’ perceptions
of rotations in internships. African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and
Dance, October (Supplement 2), 102-118.
Introduction
The sport industry has evolved into a multi-billion rand industry which offers an
increased number of complex and varied job opportunities. With the increase in
job opportunities and higher levels of job complexity, university sport
management graduates are likely to face greater job demands than ever before. In
the not too distant past getting a job in the sport industry did not require much
more than a first qualification and some experience. However, with the evolution
of the sport industry into a business-like industry incoming employees are
expected to ‘hit the ground running’ in the job situation. Universities who are the
‘producers’ of sport management graduates, therefore, need to be sensitive to the
A qualitative analysis of Sport Management interns’ perceptions 103
market demands and equip graduates with the skills and competence in line with
those demands. In response to industry demands universities were required to reexamine their sport management curricula and include a compulsory component
of work-integrated learning. In the past decade work-integrated learning in the
form of internships became the most widely recognized and accepted in both the
public and private sector (Surujlal & Singh, 2010). To prepare sport management
university students for the job market, work-integrated learning commonly exists
as field experience in the form of internships (Verner, Keyser & Morrow, 2001).
Jaschinski and De Villiers (2008) posit that internships provide the ideal
platform to transform the theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom into the
real life work experience, practical skills and competency required in a job. It is a
sound pedagogical instrument and an important educational experience (Cook,
Parker & Pettijohn, 2004) which benefits the profession and leave interns with a
sense of self-worth and accomplishment (Jaschinski & De Villiers, 2008);
provides a ‘springboard’ for further learning (Harvey & Bowers-Brown, 2003)
and provides the opportunity for the application of theoretical knowledge to the
actual work environment (Downey & DeVeau, 1988). Research (e.g. Cuneen &
Sidwell, 1994; Somerick, 2001; Stratta, 2004; Surujlal & Singh, 2009; Surujlal &
Singh, 2010; Surujlal & Mji, 2011; Chinomona & Surujlal, 2012) in the past two
decades has focussed mainly on internships. There are, however, other
components of work-integrated learning which may contribute to university sport
management students gaining the requisite skills, experience and competency to
compete and function in the job market. Besides internships, among the different
approaches to work-integrated learning are field-based coursework, service
learning, guest speakers and site visits (Domask, 2007).
The value of practical work experience through work-integrated learning cannot
be overemphasized as it has become a significant approach to bridge the
transition from the classroom to the work situation (Callanan & Benzing, 2004).
Internships, as one of the methods of work-integrated learning have gained
increased popularity in sport management curricula. If properly managed, it
provides a structured, career relevant supervised work experience for sport
management students prior to their graduation. The value of internships has been
emphasised by many researchers.
Domask (2007) posits that it assists in connecting academics with real life job
situations, evaluating the relevance of the course content of the curriculum, and
linking and engaging students to work experience. It provides for the
engagement of academics with industry through collaboration with industry
partners, building and strengthening relationships, and updating information
regarding the needs of industry (Pauline & Pauline, 2008). Sport management
internships provide sport management students with an important introduction to
their career paths (Moorman, 2004). Greenhaus, Callanan and Godshalk (2000)
104 Surujlal and Serra
view internships as a significant contributor towards shaping students’ careers
and establishing a sound foundation in the workplace. It provides an opportunity
to perform as a professional and experience an organisational culture (Verner et
al., 2001) as well as increases the opportunity for possible full time employment
upon graduation (Knemeyer & Murphy, 2001). Internship as an alternative
learning method helps students develop a realistic understanding of the
profession that they have chosen and demonstrates the relevance of academic
and technical skills needed for a job (Surujlal & Singh, 2010).
In most instances the internship is taken by sport management students in their
senior year of study or during the Honors year of study (Surujlal & Singh, 2010)
with durations of between 3 months and six months at a single organisation
under the supervision of an expert or specialist. At the University of
Johannesburg, the internship programme has been ‘expanded’ to expose sport
management interns to a variety of job situations during their internship. This is
done by rotating the positions of all interns in different organisations. The
rotation is along similar lines with job rotations in organisations in the corporate
sector.
Rotations in sport management internships at University of Johannesburg
There are different learning pathways which one can take to gain the knowledge
and experience necessary for a job. A learning pathway creates the opportunity
for one to progress from one state of learning to another. This progression or
movement is always in one direction and always moves from a lower state of
learning to a higher state of learning (Ewing & Donguet, 2007). In the corporate
sector job rotation is one of the more frequently used learning pathways. Similar
to its application in the corporate sector, the concept of job rotations can be
applied during internships.
Zwane (2014) posits that job rotation is the surest way of keeping one away from
the complacency and boredom of a routine job. The main reason for job rotation,
according to Singh and Rawat (2006) is that it exposes one to a wide range of
cross-training and experiences in an organisation. Bennett (2003) identified two
types of job rotation, namely functional job rotation and inter-functional job
rotation. Functional job rotation is rotating between jobs within the same
operational or functional area while inter-functional job rotation requires
movement from one job to another in different parts of the organisation.
Burke and Moore (2000) recognise job rotation as a career development strategy.
Job rotation equips an intern with a greater understanding of the job
requirements and the organisation. It also provides the opportunity to assess
one’s ability in the context of the job, stimulates personal growth, introduces
variety of tasks, and broadening of one’s skill base and competence. Interns can
A qualitative analysis of Sport Management interns’ perceptions 105
also increase their competitive edge in the job market by demonstrating a diverse
range of experience and skills. It also accelerates the development of individuals
for specific jobs within an organisation (Bennett, 2003).
In Sport Management internships administered by the Department of Human
Movement studies at the University of Johannesburg job rotation involves
rotating between jobs at different sport entities for limited periods of time.
Eriksson and Ortega (2006) highlight that this approach provides one with
comprehensive knowledge and experience across the industry.
Problem statement
The very high and increasing rates of unemployment and an acute shortage of
skilled people (Kanye & Crous, 2007) are characteristic of the labour market in
South Africa, sport being no exception. The professionalisation of sport and
leisure services throughout the world, including South Africa, has resulted in a
proliferation of sport organisations creating the need for personnel with a range
of skills and competencies that are specific to the sport industry (Williams,
2004). There is thus a need for universities to respond to the increased needs of
the sport industry.
Cuneen (2004) argues that many Sport Management internship programmes do
not live up to their expectations. Instead of being considered as an integral
component of the Sport Management curriculum, they are being considered as
supplements. With the current shift in emphasis from focussing solely on the
theoretical aspect, many universities have included work-integrated learning as
component of the curriculum for which students earn a credit. Despite an
expanding body of literature and research in other disciplines there is a vacuum
regarding research on the use of rotations in internships in Sport Management.
To the researchers’ best knowledge very few universities in South Africa make it
compulsory for sport management interns to rotate jobs during their internships.
There is, therefore, a need for this research to ascertain the perceptions of sport
management interns regarding this approach to internships.
Methodology
Research approach
A qualitative case study research approach was used in the study. A case study is
an empirical enquiry which allows for an in depth examination of events or
phenomena within a real life context for the purpose of investigation, theory
development and testing (Shields, 2006). This approach often employs
documents, artefacts, interviews and observations during the course of the
research. This study used semi-structured focus group interviews. The type of
106 Surujlal and Serra
case study used was an evaluative one. An evaluative case study, according to
Stenhouse (1985), is one conducted to provide decision makers information in
order to evaluate a programme or institution. In the context of this study the
decision maker is the Sport Management internship co-ordinator and the
programme is the Sport Management internship programme. The advantage of
using this approach is its flexibility in allowing researchers to decide the
boundaries of the phenomenon being researched (Miles & Huberman, 1994;
Denscombe, 1998). Instead of creating a controlled environment which is
prevalent in experimental research, a case study explores events that take place
in natural settings. It also allows a more detailed and interconnected
understanding of events.
Sample
The case for the current study was the 2013 cohort of Sport Management Honors
students (n=24) in the Department of Human Movement Studies at the
University of Johannesburg. All students who completed their internship made
up eight groups of three students each. All the participants completed their
internship through a rotation process. The rotation process required the students
to dedicate a fixed time period at selected organisations over a period of six
months. Students were not given a choice of organisation. However, the tasks
they were to perform in the selected organisation were left to the discretion of the
mentor at the different organisations.
Data collection procedure
Data collection took place during the feedback session of the participants.
Participants were informed three weeks in advance of the schedule of the
interviews. A three member panel comprising the two researchers and the
Director of the Sports Bureau of the University of Johannesburg made up the
panel which posed questions to the participants. The questions were compiled by
the principal researcher and presented to the panel a week before the feedback
sessions. Content validity was ascertained through agreement among the
members of the panel. Consensus was reached on the questions which would be
asked during the sessions. All groups were asked the same questions. Where
clarity was required probes were used. Towards the end of each session
participants of each group were requested to comment on any aspect of the
internship experience which they felt would contribute to the development of the
internship programme. Each member of the panel took field notes during the
session. Each session lasted, on average, thirty minutes. Immediately after each
session the panel compared notes to verify the responses of each group.
All respondents were informed of the feedback session when they were provided
with the schedule of the sessions. At the beginning of each session each group
A qualitative analysis of Sport Management interns’ perceptions 107
was informed that the feedback was not a ‘test’ session but rather an opportunity
for the Sport Management internship co-ordinator to get information regarding
the new approach to internships and to get information on how to improve the
internship experience. The feedback session was compulsory for all participants
and the focus group approach allowed for them to verify aspects of their
experience with fellow interns.
All field notes taken during the feedback sessions were handed to the principal
author who made copies for each researcher. The data were content analysed
independently by the two researchers. The analysis involved looking out for
recurring ideas which were then categorised and provided a label. The categories
were then compared and discussed and consensus was reached on naming the
different categories.
Results
Most effective rotations
The internship programme comprised seven different rotations, namely Facility
Management, Event Management, General Administration, Human Resource
Management, Gymnasium, Marketing and Commercialisation and Scholarships
and Finance. When interns were requested information on the most effective and
interesting rotations (Figure 1) they ranked Event Management (n=24; 100%) as
the most effective followed by Gymnasium (n=22; 91.6%), Facility Management
(n=17; 70.8%), General Administration (n=14; 58%), Human Resource
Management (n=9; 37.5%), Recruitment (n=2; 8.3%) and Scholarships and
Finance (n=0; 0%) being the least effective of them all.
The following excerpts describe the most effective rotations:
“…events are insane and demanding on time but exciting.” – Events rotation
“We weren’t able to see anything or do anything because of confidentiality,
waste of a rotation.” – Scholarship and Finance rotation
“Making VIP lists and access tags was monotonous but very important in the
bigger scheme of things.” – General Administration
108 Surujlal and Serra
30
25
24
22
20
15
17
14
10
5
0
Figure 1: Effectiveness of rotations
Theoretical modules most applicable in internship
When posed with the question “Which theoretical module was most applicable
your internship hours?”, it was clearly evident that Facility and Event
Management (FEM) was the most applicable module (n=21; 87.5%) utilised
during their internship hours with Human Resource Management (n=18; 75%),
Sport Marketing (n=15; 62.5%) and the Sociology of Sport (n=14; 58.3%) also
being highly applicable.
The applicability of the modules in internship are reflected in the excerpts which
follow:
“Definitely FEM was the module where theory was put into practice” – Facility
and Event Management
“Even though we didn’t get much exposure from the recruitment and marketing
rotation, the theory in class assisted us with getting the practical part done,
especially when it came to the Futurelife promotions.” – Sport Marketing
“A lot of the laws around sporting events and dealing with people was
interesting and HR provided me with a good platform in putting things into
perspective.” – Human Resource Management
“It was great to be able to identify different social issues – I believe the
sociology class did this for me.” – Sociology of Sport
9
A qualitative analysis of Sport Management interns’ perceptions 109
Experience of leadership styles
During their internship hours, interns were introduced to rotations with different
managers. Hence, they were exposed to different leadership styles. The
leadership styles to which interns were exposed were those of the democratic,
autocratic and laissez-faire leadership. The democratic style leadership was the
style that most interns (n=19; 79.2%) were exposed to followed by autocratic
style (n=15; 62.5%) and laissez-faire (n=7; 29.1%).
The following excerpts illustrate the exposure and experience that interns had
with the different leadership styles:
“I prefer when managers have a little more trust in us and listen to our thoughts
and ideas.” – Democratic leadership style
“Autocratic isn’t the best of styles but when deadlines are tight, I understand
why orders are needed to be handed out.” – Autocratic leadership Style
“A combination of autocratic and democratic depending on the situation
experienced.”
“I can handle doing things on my own if need be but did not appreciate the
manager reprimanding me when she didn’t event assist us in the beginning.” –
Laissez-faire leadership style
Introspective learning
Internship enables and facilitates different situations and scenarios which
allowed the interns to develop and identify specific qualities that they perceived
that they did not possess. Figure 2 illustrates the individual ‘self’ qualities that
were experienced and developed by the interns.
As illustrated in Figure 2 it is evident that professionalism (n=24; 100%) was the
most experienced quality followed by time management (n=22; 91.6%),
addressing people (n=20; 83.3%), leadership skills (n=18; 75%), telephone skills
(n=17; 70.8%), thinking on ‘your feet’ (n=16; 66.6%), teamwork (n=14; 58.3%),
thinking ‘out of the box (n=9; 37.5%), trusting others (n=8; 33.3%), team
management (n=6; 25%), the ability to work under pressure (n=5; 20.8%) and
accountability (n=5; 20.8%).
The following excerpts from the interview sessions highlight the qualities and
competencies interns experienced and developed:
“We took what we had and made it work” – Thinking ‘on your feet’/ Thinking
‘out of the box’
110 Surujlal and Serra
5
Accountability
24
Professionalism
6
Team Management
5
Work under pressure
14
Team work
20
Addressing people
16
Thinking on your feet
9
Thinking out of the box
17
Telephone skills
8
Trust others
22
Time Management
18
Leadership skills
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Figure 2: ‘Self’ qualities experienced and developed
“It taught me that I am responsible for my own actions and that my marks
would reflect the amount of commitment and hard work I put in.” Accountability
“This year proved tough as there was a constant low of work to be completed
whilst balancing the academic aspects pertaining to our degree, with the help of
our academic leader I learnt the reach the equilibrium between practical and
academic workload.”- Time management
“I never believed or dreamt in my wildest dreams to be able to speak in front of
others, through the constant opportunities where we were pushed into, public
speaking became something of second nature and helped me tremendously with
my confidence.” – Addressing people
Social issues addressed during internship
In working with diverse people and situations, the question of what sociological
issues were experienced during the internship hours was posed to the interns.
Most of the interns experienced similar sociological issues during their
internship. Gender (n=22; 91.6%) was the most dominant social issue that was
experienced by the respondents, especially the emancipation of women (n=22;
100%), being clearly visible. The majority of the UJ Sport Bureau managers
were female. This was evident in the following excerpts:
A qualitative analysis of Sport Management interns’ perceptions 111
“Funny enough, the opposite of gender ideology is experienced in the WIL
environment with women making up the majority of the people working in a male
dominated environment such as sport.”
“Women are in the decision making roles – as managers and with a director
being a woman as well.”
“When it came to the heavy stuff to carry and set up, us men did it – supporting
gender ideology.”
The second most common social issue experienced during internship was that of
race (n=16; 66.6%). Being a very culturally diverse university due to the merger
of the university, different campuses have different students who in turn have
different sport cultures. Events must therefore be planned taking into account the
different cultures. This requires being sensitive and respectful to each other’s
backgrounds. This is aptly encapsulated in the following excerpts:
“As a sport manager, you need to think of the people you want to target and
what sporting event/code would fit in with their sport culture.”
Another social issue experienced by interns was that of Ethics (n=14; 58.3%).
The sub issues experienced under ethics was that of student deviance (n=6;
42.8%). With regard to this issue students were caught smoking weed, abusing
alcohol and guilty of rowdy behaviour during sport events. Verbal abuse and the
management of angry residents (n=8; 57.1%) was also part of the ethical issues
interns experienced and needed to manage. An excerpt relating to this issue is as
follows:
“It’s very scary at first to have residents screaming at you – but you learn how
to calm them down and assist accordingly.”
Benefits of rotations in internship
During internship interns reported many outcomes in addition to the ones
identified prior to the internship. Presentation etiquette (n=24; 100%) was
regarded as the highest benefit that resulted from internship programme followed
by Accountability (n=23; 95.8%) and Soft skills, Hands on Experience and
Theory to practice (n=22; 91.6%). Exposure to Events (n=21; 87.5%) Work ethic
and Exposure to different management components (n=18; 75%), Managers
being helpful and willing (n=14; 8.3%) and lastly Networking opportunities
(n=10; 41.6%) were other benefits reported.
112 Surujlal and Serra
Theory to practice
Work Ethic
Accountability
Networking
10
Presentation etiquette
Soft skills mastered
Hands on experience
Figure 3: Benefits of rotations in internship
Managers very helpful
The following excerpts provide evidence of the benefits of rotations in
internship:
Exposure to sporting events
“I walked away with more knowledge then what I had before we started with this
Exposure–to
different
management
programme.”
Exposure
to sport
managementcomponents
components.
“I am able to take theory and apply it in a practical situation.” – Link theory to
practice
0
5
“The biggest advantage of the programme is that we were involved with the
planning, organising and implementing of Varsity Cup.” – Exposure to events.
“We got firsthand experience of what is entails to be a sport manager.” – Hands
on experience.
“It was emphasised to act, walk and talk corporate and represent
professionalism wherever we were.” – Presentation etiquette/Work ethic
“First impressions count– a statement that our course leader has drilled into us
with regards to our quality of work, mannerisms and appearance.” – Work
ethic/Professionalism/Accountability.
“The internship programme offered within our degree presented opportunities to
network with many UJ Sport Managers as well as celebrities like Francois
Pienaar.” – Network opportunities.
Challenges associated with rotations in internship
With every new programme shortfalls or challenges are expected. The challenge
that experienced most (Figure 4) were related to Scholarship and Sport Finance
rotation (n=22; 91.6%). The confidentiality associated with this issue limited
nature of involvement of the interns. Other challenges experienced by interns
10
A qualitative analysis of Sport Management interns’ perceptions 113
were insufficient time certain rotations which interns deemed interesting and
knowledgeable (n=15; 62.5%); unwilling mangers who restricted autonomy and
did not provide sufficient and appropriate work opportunities(n=12; 50%); lack
of professionalism from managers (n=11; 45.8inappropriate task levels which
compromised the quality of the work allocated to them (n=5; 20.8%) and the
long and demanding internship hours which impacted on the very stringent
academic workload of interns (n=4; 16.6%).
25
22
20
15
15
12
11
10
5
4
5
0
Figure 4: Challenges associated with rotations in internship
Excerpts highlighting challenges experienced by interns are as follows:
“Students should be given the real work, so they can face challenges that sport
managers would otherwise experience.” – Tasks not at honors level.
“Managers should take us students more seriously and not treat us like their
gofer.” – Managers not willing.
“My biggest disappointment in the internship program was the finance rotation.
We weren’t allowed to be a part of anything as it was confidential but how do
they expect us to understand how everything is run and operated if we can’t do
anything?? “– Sport Finance rotation poor.
“It was quite obvious that certain managers just wanted to keep us busy, this
manager was rigid for adjustment and had an open negative attitude towards us
internship students.” – Managers not willing/Lack of professionalism from
managers.
“The disadvantage of this programme was that some managers gave us things to
do that weren’t in our scope of study, we were sometimes used as general
assistants.” – Tasks not at honours level/Managers not willing.
114 Surujlal and Serra
“We students ended up putting in as much or even more time and effort into WIL
than into our research and school studies.” – Internship hours too demanding
and long.
Recommendations regarding rotations in internship
Interns were given the opportunity to provide recommendations to improve the
internship experience. The main recommendations (n=18; 75%) related to the
Sport Finance and Sport Marketing/Commercialisation rotations. Interns
suggested that these rotations need to be improved as the experience and
knowledge gained from these rotations did not prepare them for the workplace.
Many interns (n=16; 66.6%) perceived that communication channels from the
top management down to the managers to be problematic. This resulted in
managers not really knowing how to manage the interns. Interns recommended
that clear cut directives from the Sport Management internship co-ordinator at
the university stating what was expected from mentors during the internship
should be provided to the different organisations. Many interns (n=15; 62.5%)
recommended expanding the network of organisations at which interns could do
their internship. An important rotation recommended by most interns (n=23;
95.8%) to be added to the current rotations was an Employment readiness
rotation. This rotation would assist interns in acquiring the knowledge on
preparing their curriculum vitae, preparing for interviews, providing different
sources of job searches and assisting in jobs applications. This kind of content
covered in this rotation would also guide interns on setting up their very own
LinkedIn profile.
Excerpts regarding recommendations on rotations in internship are as follows:
‘Communication should be clearer with managers on what is expected of them
otherwise it is time consuming for students.” – Communication channels should
be clearer from top management.
‘Introduce a job readiness rotation, because managers of companies ask more
than we are prepared for in interviews.” – Introduction of job readiness rotation
‘Each rotation such as Scholarships and Finance was not nearly as adequate to
what the real world needs and expects of us.” – Improvement of Sport Finance
and Marketing rotation.
‘Communication channels can be clearer with top management scheduling more
meetings with managers so that managers that are not interested in being part of
the WIL programme can say so.” – Communication channels.
Discussion
The purpose of the study was to ascertain the perceptions of interns regarding
rotations in internships. It is evident from the responses of the participants that
the new approach to internships in the Sport Management programme has many
A qualitative analysis of Sport Management interns’ perceptions 115
additional benefits compared to the traditional implementation of internships.
The Sport Management rotation exemplified the ideal platform to transform
theoretical knowledge gained within the classroom into real life work
experience, practical skills and competencies required in a job (Jaschinski & De
Villiers, 2008). Furthermore, self-quality benefits experienced and developed
within these rotations are similarly to findings of Callanan and Benzing (2004).
Burke and Moore (2000) highlight the fact that because of the limited
opportunities within organisations for one to move vertically up the hierarchy,
job rotations provide a ‘boundary less’ environment which enable employees to
move horizontally within an organisation. This is particularly beneficial in sport
organisations as sport managers are required to be knowledgeable in many
different aspect of the organisation.
The wide range of cross-training (Singh & Rawat, 2006) and experiences offered
within the UJ Sport Management Honours WIL programme highlights interfunctional job rotations which is one of two types of rotations that Bennett
(2003) underlined and emphasizes job enrichment and limits complacency and
boredom of a routine job (Zwane, 2014). With different leadership styles exerted
by supervision of an expert or specialist (Surujlal & Singh, 2010), the
opportunity to assess and experience different leadership styles in the context of
the job has allowed students to identify their preferred type of leadership style
underscoring a more flexible and autonomic working environment as favourable
compared to a more stringent autocratic environment where trust and autonomy
in students is limited.
However, the rotations in internships with different supervisions provide interns
with flexibility and opportunity to cross-train and creates the opportunity for one
to progress from one state of learning too another as students are requested to
‘think on their feet’ (Ewing & Donguet, 2007). It further enhances an interns’
experiential database which makes them more marketable in the workplace as
transition from the classroom to the work situation is bridged (Callan & Benzing,
2004). From an organisational viewpoint, sport organisations are likely to attract
employees who have a wider range of competencies who may be more
productive (Bennett, 2003). The responses of the participants indicate that they
benefited from a variety of experiences and developed a range of competencies.
This, no doubt, enhanced their competitive edge in the job market.
Conclusion
Internship in university courses is not new. In fact, it is a requirement in
vocationally oriented degrees that lead to professional accreditation and
generally are regarded as a ‘good thing’. Work placements are supported by
employers who are recruiting, valued by students who wish to be work ready,
and initiated by academics who want students to experience theory in practice.
116 Surujlal and Serra
As a result, there are now attempts to increase the prevalence of work placements
as a requirement and not merely as elective in academic programmes. Effective
programmes require access to quality learning environments, preparation and
support for supervisory staff and establishment of appropriate risk management
and minimisation processes. Effective work experience must involve meaningful
work as a means to an end, not an end in itself; the experience of work is not
enough to produce transformed learning. Learning in work placements needs to
be deliberate and intentional, supported by induction of students and supervisors
and the imaginative development of appropriate assessment to ensure the
maintenance of high standards and adequate duty of care. Reflection and
debriefing on the work by all parties is required.
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