Internship Experiences of Tangub City Global College Business Students: Mixed Method Study

Internships are essential in bridging academic knowledge and practical workplace skills, directly influencing students’ employability. This study, “Internship Experience of Tangub City Global College Business Students: Mixed Method Study,” explores the effectiveness of On-the-Job Training (OJT) programs in preparing students for real-world employment, focusing specifically on Marketing Management and Office Administration students. Using a concurrent mixed-method design, the study engaged 59 Marketing Management and 62 Office Administration students in its quantitative phase, alongside 10 Marketing Management and 12 Office Administration students respectively in qualitative interviews. Quantitative results revealed that students generally rated their internship experiences positively. Marketing Management interns scored highest in Strategic Planning Skills with the mean of (3.32), while Office Administration students scored highest in Records Management Skills (3.36) mean, both were consistently applied during their 600-hour internships. While in Qualitative findings, it highlighted gaps between classroom learning and workplace assignments, with students frequently assigned repetitive clerical tasks such as printing and collecting signatures and the duties are not fully aligned with their academic training. Students also proposed improvements, such as expanding partnerships with industry, increasing supervisor visits, and using structured evaluation tools. In conclusion, this study is localized focus on internship implementation in a provincial higher education institution, providing insights that are often underrepresented in internship. The results highlight the necessity of evaluating internship planning and not only to strengthen industry academe linkages but to ensure that experiential learning genuinely reflects students’ career paths for their brighter future.