With more than 250 students currently on internship, the Queen’s University Internship Program, (QUIP), which provides students the opportunity to gain paid work experience and ‘test drive’ a career choice for 12 or 16 months, continues to grow.

“It’s been a record year for Queen’s internships,” says Chelsea Elliott, Manager of Experiential Learning and Partner Relations at Career Services. “QUIP has more than doubled in size within the past two years alone.”

Thomas McRae, a fifth-year engineering student, recently completed an internship at Mercedes-Benz Canada as a materials testing and development intern. He found that working with a company for 12 months was a great way to be exposed to an office environment and be a part of a team.

“One of my most valuable experiences was being able to see the direct impact of my work, and producing results based on academic knowledge and engineering judgement gained through three years of education,” he says.

The internships have proven to be a win-win experience for students.

“Not only do internships allow students a chance to apply what they’re learning in their academic programs to the workplace, they also give them a chance to return to their final year of studies with renewed energy and deeper connection to course materials,” Ms. Elliott says.

Aliya Ali agrees. A fifth-year biology student Ms. Ali chose to do her internship in the related field of healthcare at Baycrest Health Sciences. She notes that her internship greatly benefited her studies upon returning to Queen’s.

“During my internship, I had to complete various grant applications which helped me improve my scientific writing style,” she says. “Within my first semester of being back, I have found that my assignments in classes are noticeably better developed and written than before I embarked on my internship.”

Employers continue to hire from Queen’s to tap into a talented pool of students from a diverse array of programs. The 12-16 month model allows for a relatively high return on investment in training.

To learn more about QUIP visit careers.queensu.ca/quip