Internship Guide 2018 V2 g426w

AP Degree Programme in Service, Hospitality and Tourism Management

Internship Guidelines for students and companies

Internship 2018 1

Internship guidelines AP Degree in Service, Hospitality and Tourism Management at Dania Academy of Higher Education Valid from October 2017, version 11

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Reservations for printing errors and alterations

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................ 4 2. TIMEFRAME FOR INTERNSHIP ............................................................................................................................... 4

2.1 Other conditions ............................................................................................................................................ 5 3. PURPOSE OF INTERNSHIP....................................................................................................................................... 6

3.1 What is expected from the host company? ......................................................................................... 6 4. ASSIGNMENT OF TUTOR ......................................................................................................................................... 7 5. PLAN FOR THE INTERNSHIP ................................................................................................................................... 8 6. THE INTERNSHIP PROJECT AND THE FINAL PROJECT ....................................................................................... 8

6.1 The internship project.................................................................................................................................. 9 6.2 The final project ............................................................................................................................................. 9 7. THE STUDENT’S QUALIFICATIONS ........................................................................................................................ 9

7.1 Educational background and practical experience ......................................................................... 10 7.2 Professional/theoretical competences gained from the programme ...................................... 10 8. S AND ADDRESSES ............................................................................................................................... 10

Appendix 1: Formal requirements – internship project ........................................................................ 12

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1. Introduction This guide provides additional information to the part of the programme’s course description which is related to the internship and contains general information for both students at the AP Degree in Service, Hospitality and Tourism Management and for host companies.

2. Timeframe for internship As an essential part of the educational programme, the student is to work as an internship trainee for three months (13 weeks) after the first year of studies. The internship takes place within the period from 1 August to 31 October and is made up of the following activities: Time September – October October/November

Students  Information about internship in connection with general introduction to educational programme  Internship introduction to students

Host company

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December – April

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possible host companies

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February - March

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Internship dating

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May

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Deadline for approval of internship contract May 7 Student will be assigned internship tutor by the end of May The agreement must be submitted by the student – including the internship plan – to the CRM system:

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June August – October (Weeks 1–13 of the internship)

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http://eadania.dk/en/internshipagreement

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Meeting with internship tutor Internship First week of August (week 1): Skypemeeting or visit from tutor is planned Middle of September (week 7): Send status-mail to tutor Approval of problem statement no later than Friday in week 9

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November – December

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Hand in internship project on Wiseflow Internship exam

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January

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Beginning of final project

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Current host companies receive letter that offers the possibility of having a new internship trainee Companies are ed in relation to having an internship trainee Invitation to participate in “Internship dating” at Dania, Randers Deadline for approval of contract at 7 May The company approves the internship agreement via e-mail

Internship Week 3-6: Skype-meeting or visit by tutor is planned Approval of problem statement no later than Friday in week 9

The student sends internship project to host company The student will make

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June

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The student sends internship project to host company

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Examination – final project The student sends copy of final project to host company

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arrangements with host company in relation to final project Examination, final project – host company has possibility of attending the exam

Indication of weeks refers to the placement in the 13 weeks which the internship lasts. In the following, the timeframe is further elaborated.

2.1 Other conditions Before the internship begins, the student fills out an internship contract to document that an agreement has been made as well as the specific and conditions that have been agreed upon (use http://eadania.dk/en/internship-agreement).

It is VERY important that the name of the internship company is entered correctly into the CRM system, as the information is automatically transferred to the student's diploma. The internship company is the place where the student works, not the head offices. Internship contracts with a start before first of July cannot be approved. When the student has submitted the agreement in the CRM system, the tutor, the student and the company will receive an e-mail in order to finally accept the internship agreement. Following the tutor’s visit, the company and the student will receive a short evaluation e-mail. The work hours are agreed between the student and the host company. The starting point, however, is a working week with an average of 30 hours. In case of illness of more than 5 working days, the student and the company must the internship supervisor at Dania. The Danish student receive study grants from the State Education Fund, and therefore the host company are not obligated to pay any wages. The student is obliged to ensure that all laws, rules and regulations regarding special arrangements are followed (S.U. rules etc.). The host company must guarantee that the student is covered by liability insurance in the period of the internship. 5

It should also be noted that the student in the period of the internship is covered by the employer’s statutory industrial injury insurance cf. §2 and §§5-7.

3. Purpose of internship The purpose of the internship is to:  give the student business competences within the area of specialisation  ensure integration between theory and practice  contribute to the professional and personal development of the student  ensure continuity in the educational programme as the student’s final exam project as a main rule is written with the host company as starting point As the internship is an integrated – and very important – part of the overall educational programme, the student will be in a position to contribute the following to the company:  A strongly motivated work effort during three months  The solution of a specific minor issue which the student formulates in co-operation with the company ending in a project  The solution of a major issue which the student formulates in co-operation with the company in connection with the completion of the student’s final project. As stated above, the final exam project must as a main rule be based on the host company  New ideas based on recent theories in the educational subject areas  Ensuring competent employees in future In addition, the host company has the opportunity to influence the development of qualifications of future employees in the service sector.

3.1 What is expected from the host company? It is important to emphasize that the student himself/herself is largely responsible for a successful outcome of the internship for both parties. The student is expected to show initiative, to be curious, hard working and cooperative. In order for both parties to derive maximum benefit from an internship, it is necessary that the company contributes with: 

the will to “teach” and on knowledge. In practice, this may imply that the student: o

has access to the information needed to understand the situation of the host company and to carry out the specified practical and theoretical tasks at a satisfactory level. Of course, this does not relate to confidential information.

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is allowed to take part in selected meetings, either as an active or inactive participant. This refers to both internal meetings (e.g. departmental meetings) 6

and external meetings (e.g. with customers or advertising agents). By participating in such meetings, the student will gain an insight into some of the decision-making processes of the host company.

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has a person in the host company who can act as a mentor for the student regarding planning and implementation of the internship and who can be the link between the host company and the Academy. It is advisable that this role is played by either a departmental/divisional manager or somebody in staff management.

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the person will participate in the meeting with the tutor in relation with the tutor’s visiting the host company.

the will to be sparring partner on the student’s internship project and the final project, hence the education puts an emphasis on that the project is written for the company.

Furthermore:  The host company is not obliged to enter into any theoretical or methodical guidance in connection with the projects related to the internship. 

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The company is expected to enter into a dialogue between the student and the Academy and to act as a mentor and counsellor concerning the internship and the projects related to the internship.

The company is co-responsible for motivating and activating the student. The Academy holds the view that it is largely the student’s responsibility to benefit from the internship and that it is up to him/her to take an active part in information retrieval and tasks. In practice, however, both the company and the student will of course have a part in this activity.

4. Assignment of Tutor In connection with the internship, each student will be assigned an academic tutor from Dania Academy of Higher Education. Students spending their internship in Denmark will either receive visits by their tutors or a skype-meeting will be planned. It is up to the student to arrange either the skype-meeting or the visit. Students spending their internship abroad will not receive visits by their tutor but must arrange via Skype. A representative of the organisation is expected to attend at the tutor’s visit – the student must arrange this. 7

A tutor’s visit at a host company may include:  A tour of the company  A short discussion of the internship up to this date in general  A discussion of the internship project and its problem statement  A discussion of the final project  The possibility for the student’s future employment in the company/industry  Possibilities for further cooperation relating to internship trainees

5. Plan for the internship In relation to the internship, a plan for the implementation of the internship is prepared between the student and the host company (statement of aims). This should be written in the online contract The host company and the student are tly responsible that the internship meets the plan. The plan should roughly contain the following items:  the host company’s expectations to the student including the criteria on which the host company will evaluate the student’s efforts  a decision about the student’s connections to one or more departments  the planned work hours including demands to the student’s flexibility  possible planned journeys domestic and abroad  possible planned meetings, conferences which the student is to participate in  defined tasks and their time limits  time for a mid-term evaluation of the internship with the student  a possible statement made in advance relating to the connection between the internship, the internship project and the final project As starting point, the internship may be characterised by the student being involved in issues/several departments/function in the host company – as a contrast, it may be characterised by the student’s involvement in one issue/function/department only.

6. The internship project and the final project In relation to the internship project and the final project, a number of specific requirements are made – these are briefly listed below. The aim of the internship project and the final project is for the student to practice identifying relevant, specific and topical problems within the host company (or host organisation) and offer solutions and an action plan to these problems in a methodical fashion. Topic and problem statement of both projects must be approved by the tutor.

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All subject areas of the programme can be used in the internship project and the final project. As a main rule, all subject areas which are relevant for the projects must be included. The student is to submit a copy of the internship project as well as of the final project to the host company. Both internship project and final project must be made individually2.

6.1 The internship project3 In connection with the internship project, the student is able to solve a series of specific tasks. Below are some examples of assignments that students may carry out or contribute to:     

Customer and competitor analyses Gathering and analysis of other external data Internal analyses, such as the supply chain of the organisation, employee satisfaction etc. Planning of market / communication strategies Analyses of the sustainability of new services or other projects

The student’s choice of aims and problem statement is his own, and the tutor will thus be very flexible in approving the student’s choice. However, it is the responsibility of the Academy to see to it that the student’s description of aims and problem statement is in accordance with the general purpose of the internship. As the student will use the host company as starting point for his final project later on, the internship project can be seen as a preliminary project which forms the background of the final project.

6.2 The final project As a main rule, the final project makes use of the student’s host company as starting point, and in most cases, the departure point for the project will be a solution to specific and practice related problem in the internship company. If the host company wishes, however, the departure point may be of a more overall and trade-related nature. The topic and problem statement of the final project must not be identical to those of the internship project. The internship project, however, may be included in the final project in line with other source material.

7. The student’s qualifications

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In relation to the final project, students may be exempted from working individually

See Appendix 1

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7.1 Educational background and practical experience Before starting the educational programme, students have very different backgrounds. Most students have an upper secondary education either from a commercial upper secondary school or a general upper secondary school. A few of the students have practical experience, for instance as cooks, waiters, receptionists or office workers. Some have several years’ practical experience and experience from working abroad and perhaps other educational programmes behind them. Others have chosen to start this educational programme right after their basic education or upper secondary education. If the host company is looking for specific qualifications, Dania, Danish Academy of Business and Technology will of course establish with students whose backgrounds will match the company’s wishes completely or partially.

7.2 Professional/theoretical competences gained from the programme When the internship starts, students will successfully have completed the first year of studies. This means that they will have ed a number of internal exams. The programme consists of a number of compulsory modules, an elective module (Tourism management, Hotel & restaurant management or Event management), the internship and the final project – a total of 120 ECTS credits. If the company wishes to know more about the subject areas covered by the educational programme, Dania, Danish Academy of Business and Technology will be pleased to supply more detailed descriptions. The materials are also available on www.eadania.dk.

8. s and addresses If you want further information or brochures, you are welcome to use one of the s stated below: Dania Academy of Higher Education Minervavej 63 DK-8960 Randers SØ tel: +45 7229 1000 Coordinators – responsible for the student internships: Tourism Management Hotel Management Sport & Event Management

Helle Schibye Helle Schibye Thomas Mohr Rasmussen

[email protected]

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istration: Programme Manager Programme Secretary

Lasse Karlberg Dorthe Lenler

[email protected] Tel: +45 7229 1102

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Appendix 1: Formal requirements – internship project The internship project may be structured in many different ways. The below outline may be viewed as a guideline: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Introduction (1 page) Problems in company (1 page) Problem statement (choice of problem), delimitation, methodology, weighting (1-2 pages) Brief presentation of company (1 page) Analysis of problem (4-6 pages) Suggestions, recommendations, action plans and specific solutions (4-5 pages) Conclusion (1 page) Enclosure: Personal evaluation of internship (must be included – 1 page minimum)

It must be specified that the above number of pages is a guideline only. The internship project is to consist of a maximum of 35.000 characters. The internship project is handed in on WISEflow, and one copy is submitted to the host company. The problem statement and index of the internship project is sent to the tutor for approval. During the internship and the period hereafter, the student writes a project, where the student s for and answers the problem of statement. The project forms the basis of an individual oral examination of 30 minutes and includes a presentation. The examination consists of an oral examination in the project, and an evaluation of both the project and the presentation. The tutor will give one t mark of ‘7-point scale’. Weighting: the project itself 50% and the examination 50%. The project must be ed before the student may continue his fourth semester. In case a student does not his internship project, the project must be rewritten and improved, assisted by his tutor, and, in a second evaluation, demonstrate that the academic level of the project is now acceptable. 12