Impact of Virtual Internship to International Hospitality Management Students

The education system was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Limitations on gatherings and mobility caused by the virus arise but instead of postponing or canceling the internships, educational institutions are forced to offer an alternative in the form of virtual internships. This study assessed the impact of virtual internship to the Hospitality Management students. Specifically, it described the profile of the respondents in terms of year level, duration of the internship, and type of internship program enrolled; determined the impact of virtual internship in terms of professional development, professional skills, personal growth, and personal capabilities and tested the significant difference on the impact of virtual internship when grouped according to profile. A descriptive research design was used with 246 interns as respondents of the study. The study utilized an adapted questionnaire and used statistical tests such as percentage, weighted mean, ranking, and ANOVA. Based on the result, the majority of the respondents were male and took 1000 hours of training in the Food and Beverage Services areas. The interns Ad that virtual internship has significant impact on their professional development, professional skills, personal growth, and personal capabilities. It was also found that there is no significant difference in the assessment of the impact of virtual internships when grouped according to the profile variables. The researchers recommended having more innovative strategies to provide students with a higher impact on their virtual internship experience.