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Internships

1. What

The course “Internship” offers the possibility of spending a training period in a workplace, other than the educational institute where the trainee/student (hereafter called the trainee) is currently registered, or has been registered in the past and other than a company or institute in which the trainee has been employed, has done any internship or has done any research activity in the past.

The internship is domain-related to the educational programme of the trainee.

IMPORTANT! Results or data gathered during the internship cannot partially nor completely be used for the master dissertation.

Finding an internship position is the responsibility of the trainee. The faculty website, programme promoter, coordinator, course holder and/or teachers can offer suggestions.

Used terminology:

  • Internship course holder(s): responsible ZAP member of the course ‘internship’
  • Academic promoter: responsible ZAP member of the internship
  • Internship provider: responsible contact person of the internship
  • Internship supervisor: daily supervisor of the internship

2. When

Generally, the internship will be executed

  • during the summer recess between the 1st and 2nd master year;
  • another timing in function of the student’s personal time table, provided that the internship doesn’t interfere with other academic activities.

Upon agreement with the internship provider and the academic promoter of the internship, the trainee can divide the workdays in different periods, only if the total period covers the minimum required workdays as stated in the course catalogue of UGent.

As the insurance coverage is only guaranteed in the period applied for, any adjustment to the internship period always has to be mentioned to the Faculty Student Administration, .

3. Duration and course specifications

The duration of an internship depends on the amount of credits allocated to the course (programme specific). See course catalogue (http://studiegids.ugent.be/2016/EN/FACULTY/I/) for more details.

4. Where

The internship offer is programme specific. All information can be obtained via the internship course holder. Usually students propose a placement themselves and search an academic promoter familiar with the topic.

5. Supervision and guidance

  • At Ghent University, the trainee will be supervised by an academic promoter
  • On the place of the internship, the internship is supervised by an internship provider (representative of the company/organisation) and guided by a supervisor (employee of the company/organisation). These persons nor the head of the company may be a relative of the trainee to the first or second degree.

6. Procedure

6.1. Establishing the UGent Traineeship contract by the student

  1. The trainee completes the online web form (https://webster.ugent.be/stagecontracten/secure/?lang=EN) and saves it.

    An automatic request for approval is then sent to the academic promoter at Ghent University.
    The proposal can be submitted throughout the year, but

    • the latest 1 May before the start of the internship if it takes place in the summer recess or
    • at the latest 2 months before the start of the internship in any other case.

     

  2. When the academic promoter approves, the information provided in the web form is used to generate a “contract of practical training” which is sent to the trainee, including instructions on the next steps.
  3. The trainee prints three copies of the two page contract and adds the following annexes
    • The job description, which can be a copy of the submitted and approved internship proposal, containing a description of the tasks the trainee will execute
  4. The trainee signs all three copies of all documents and sends them to the internship provider.
  5. The internship provider signs the three copies, completes the Risk Analysis Form and returns the complete set of documents to the trainee.
  6. The trainee submits this complete set of documents to the Faculty Student Administration (FBE, Coupure Links, A1.101)
  7. They obtain the Dean’s signature and send back two copies of the signed package to the trainee.
  8. The trainee keeps one set of documents for him-/her-self and returns the other completely signed set of documents to the internship provider .

6.2. Specific health assessment

A Risk Analysis Form is completed by the internship provider. Only if the internship provider indicates the need for “Specific health assessment” on the last page of the Risk Analysis Form, then he also needs to complete the Work Station File  (https://www.ugent.be/student/nl/meer-dan-studeren/gezondheid/medische-info-stage/werkpostfiches/engels_elektronisch.doc), the trainee submits this Work Station File together with the other documents (6.1.) to the Faculty Student Administration. The Faculty Student Administration then arranges an appointment for the trainee with the UGent Department of Occupational Medicine.

Even if the internship provider does not indicate a need for “Specific health assessment”, the trainee may still be invited for an appointment with the UGent Department of Occupational Medicine, e.g. for specific medical advice or vaccinations.

6.3. Going abroad

In case you go abroad in the framework of your internship, you need

  1. to register this in OASIS, before the departure
  2. after registration in OASIS, to send a message to Hilde.Vandecasteele@UGent.be

 

Questions? Hilde.Vandecasteele@UGent.be

 

IMPORTANT!
  1. Changes in the working dates mentioned on the internship agreement should be immediately reported to the Faculty Student Administration, . This is essential, because trainees are only insured during the registered periods.
  2. It is within the responsibility of the student to read carefully the rights and duties (http://www.ugent.be/student/nl/studeren/stage/stageovereenkomst/rightandduties) before starting the internship.

7. Structure of the report

Language of the report: English

See course catalogue for more details.

The report has to be submitted electronically the latest 6 weeks after completion of the internship. Therefore the student sends by e-mail the internship report to:

  • the academic promotor
  • the internship provider
  • the internship course holder
  • Faculty Student Administration : always in cc

In some cases a hard copy is required. Ask your academic promotor for advice.

8. Evaluation

See course catalogue for more details.

Data and time for internship presentations will be announced by the Faculty Student Administration.

-        All defences are organised in the week of rehearsal activities (week before Christmas recess for internships executed during summer recess)

-        Defence is composed of 10 minutes of oral presentation followed by 15 minutes of discussion

-        The defence is held in English

-        The internship is evaluated by an internship course holder of the programme, the academic promotor and the internship provider or supervisor from the workplace.