The importance of stimulating curricular internships in HEIs as a factor in attracting students from professional education to enter higher education

Abstract

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play an important role in local and national development, aiming to create value for the surrounding community. One of the objectives of HEIs is to define a strategy to combat dropout, particularly after the end of the 3rd cycle, and increase the number of students entering higher education. ISCAP, as a public education institution, has been developing institutional partnerships with secondary and vocational schools, establishing relationships with vocational guidance offices, direct contact with teachers and students, development of several joint activities - events, participation in extra-curricular activities and projects, visits, etc. On the other hand, annually, we receive students who are developing their curricular internship in order to provide them with a professional experience in the area of communication, marketing and employability, as well as to support the development of Professional Aptitude Projects (PAP) related to different areas of action. In this study it is intended, therefore, to analyze the importance of carrying out curricular internships for students attending vocational education in the offices of a HEI - ISCAP - as a contribution to the process of attraction and encouragement to pursue studies. This analysis aims to characterize and present cases of students who - after completing a curricular internship at ISCAP and fully experiencing the environment of an HEI, the culture and interacting with students and teachers, decide to pursue studies for our training offer, TeSP and Degrees.