Mitigating the Gap between Academic Knowledge and Labour Market Demands in Engineering Education: Conceptualisation and Pilot Implementation of a Integrated Internship

The article focuses on developing and substantiating the mechanism of integrated internship as a tool for bridging the gap between educational programs and labor market demands, in particular for engineering professions. The scientific novelty lies in creating a conceptual model of interaction between higher education and the labor market, which considers both the academic core and the flexibility of professional specializations, and allows quantitative assessment of cooperation effectiveness between higher education institutions and employers by considering explicit and implicit knowledge in both sectors. The paper analyzes existing approaches to addressing the skills gap (non-formal education, micro-qualifications, and dual education) using SWOT analysis and evaluation through the lens of the developed conceptual model. Based on this analysis, a new mechanism is proposed - integrated internship, which combines elements of formalized practice, coursework, and thesis projects using project-based and problem-based approaches. A distinctive feature of the proposed mechanism is its ability to promote updating both students' practical skills and academic programs, ensuring balanced development of both conceptual model components. The mechanism involves clearly defined roles for process participants: an expert practitioner from the employer, a higher education institution instructor, a process coordinator, and mentors. The stages of implementing integrated internships are detailed, including the preparatory stage, realization, and final results. The implementation of the proposed mechanism took place in two higher education institutions. The implementation results demonstrate increased interest in the profession among participating students and improved understanding of industrial needs by instructors. The article emphasizes the potential for scaling integrated internships, especially in conditions of limited resources and the need for rapid adaptation to labor market changes. The proposed mechanism can serve as a foundation for developing more advanced forms of interaction between education and the labor market.