Internship
Τhe Department of Marine Sciences participates in the Internship (Practical Exercise) program of the University of the Aegean funded by the Operational Programme “EPAnEK 2014-2020 – Competitiveness – Entrepreneurship – Innovation”.
Internship is considered as an important part of higher education, as it is a way of linking theory with practice that contributes both to better exploit the knowledge and skills acquired by the students during their studies, and to the easiest and most advantageous promotion / integration of graduates in the work market.
In the context of the Internship, employment agencies from the private and public sectors (such as companies for environmental impact studies, non-governmental environmental organizations, diving centers, aquaculture and fishing cooperatives, institutions of wetland management and coastal ecosystems, research institutes of oceanography, fisheries and water resources, public services etc) offer work positions to the students of the Department of Marine Sciences, which are associated with the cognitive and technological skills that are promoted by the Department, with wide applications in the coastal and marine environment. Marine sciences students gain experience in their field, determine if they have an interest in a particular career, or create a network of contacts.
The implementation of the Internship/Practical Exercise, consolidates the essential link between the educational process and the requirements-needs of the operational/business environment through a process of feedback, while expanding and maintaining permanent relationships with stakeholders in the work market. The students are expected to participate in various activities of the employing agencies such as recording the processes of production and decision-making, participating in analyses, measurements, recordings, data collection and analysis etc.
The Internship is an optional lesson, offered after the 6th semester in the undergraduate program of studies and takes place primarily during the summer months of July-August each year, since at that period students have no academic obligations. The duration of an internship is normally two (2) months and, in any case, it cannot last less than one (1) month. Participating students receive a monthly stipend. Accident insurance is also covered. Among the objectives of the lesson is to give the opportunity to the majority of the students of the Department of Marine Sciences to participate in the Practical Exercise during their studies.
Students willing to be involved in the Internship may start to investigate for potential hosts by themselves in the beginning of the 6th semester and must submit an application form to the Internship bureau of the University of the Aegean. Positions are assigned in accordance with the students’ academic performance, his/her preferences and his/her assignments and under the supervision of the lesson’s Coordinator (faculty member).
During the Practical Exercise each student is supervised both by a professional from the employment agency and by a faculty member. The two supervisors cooperate in setting up the work project and provide the student with all the necessary information.
At the end of the training period students submit a short report and present the results of their practice to a specific open workshop of Internships. The professional from the employment agency provides a performance evaluation that is notified to the supervising faculty member. The faculty supervisor assigns the final grade based on both the evaluation of the professional supervisor and the student’s report and presentation.