The objective of this study is to provide a systematic review of the literature on the impact of internships completed by university students. This research also aims to analyze variables that can affect outcomes and satisfaction in the internship experience. Fifty-seven studies were included and examined. The effects and variables identified were listed and classified. The findings of this review support the overall positive effects of business internships and confirm that they are a win-win situation for the main 3 stakeholders: students, employers, and higher education institutions.

This piece of research focusses on the sustainable development goal (SDG) number four of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: quality education. The main objective of this research was to determine whether introducing a High Achievement Academic Program (ARA Groups) at a Spanish public university could enhance its graduates’ employability. According to the existing scientific literature, some variables related to the students’ accomplishments during college are good predictors of future employability: academic performance, participation in international exchanges, and participation in traineeships. In the empirical part of this research, our objective was to compare, using descriptive and bivariate statistical analysis, the behavior of the students of the ARA Groups and the regular ones, regarding a set of variables related to the above-mentioned predictors of employability. The outcomes allow us to conclude that ARA students performed academically better and that they participated more in international exchanges. Participation in business internships did not present significant differences, although ARA students scored higher in the employers’ assessment of the internship. Our results suggest that graduates of this program will be more sought-after by companies, and therefore it contributes positively to one of the key objectives of quality higher education, which is employability, and hence to sustainable development.

Literature on traineeships recognizes beneficial effects on its main agents: students, employers, and higher education institutions. Furthermore, some authors have identified added effects when applying new technologies to the business internship experience, specially referred to improved computer skills and learning outcomes. The Faculty of Business Administration and Management of the Universitat Politècnica de València has had a remarkable increase of internships over the past years. As computer skills are being more demanded by employers in a globalized and technological world, it is expected that virtual placements and ICTs in the internship practice will be a trend in universities in the up-coming years. The management of internships of the two new Double Degrees in the Faculty of Business: Business Administration and Management + Computer Science Engineering, and Business Administration and Management + Telecommunications Engineering, could provide the perfect scenario to put into practice and to explore the possibilities of new technologies applied to internships. The recent change in the Spanish law and in the regulations of universities, such as the Universitat Politècnica de València, allows business internships to take place abroad. This could also provide an opportunity for innovation and growth, if combining internationalization with virtualization of internships.

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