PRE-PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Professional training in Higher Education requires a commitment to building knowledge that integrates theory and practice in an inseparable way. In this sense, pre-professional practice/internship becomes a fundamental stage in university students’ training, allowing them not only to deepen their theoretical knowledge but also to acquire practical knowledge through real-life experiences related to their future professional performance. Thus, this article aims to understand the importance of implementing pre-professional practice or internships in a contextualized manner for the development of university students’ professional competencies. From this perspective, the study follows a qualitative approach, based on bibliographic and documentary analysis. Finally, it is worth highlighting that pre-professional practice/internship, as a specific curricular unit, involves didactic procedures that enable the connection between theory and practice. In this sense, its proper implementation by university professors, based on their competencies, directly influences the comprehensive education of students, fostering a more critical and active mindset regarding their reality, considering their concerns, expectations, and personal experiences.