Several of the colleges we surveyed have developed practicum components to enable students to practice what they have learned in the classroom. This enables students to gain a better understanding of the work environment they are training for, even prior to participating in off-campus internships. Students who had participated in such training indicated that it was confidence building and that it was one of the most rewarding parts of their program of study.

In addition, off-campus internships provide students with work experience relevant to their chosen field of study. There appears to be a strong link between internships and high employment rates, with between 50 and 90 percent of students who completed internships being hired by the employer who provided the internship experience.