For many students, finding an internship can be an obstacle course, requiring courage and perseverance. Getting through this phase of practical study is no picnic either. The aim is twofold: on the one hand, to share what you've learned with a view to contributing to the development of the company you're working for, and on the other, to acquire or consolidate professional skills that you can then use to your advantage.
Speaking of valorizing an internship, this can involve writing a report. This article provides some answers to the main questions surrounding this document: what does it consist of? How important is it for the trainee, and for whom is it written? Above all, how should it be produced?
What is an internship report?
Le stage est une étape nécessaire pour mettre en application toutes les connaissances et théories accumulées pendant les périodes d’enseignement ou de formation. C’est une véritable mise en situation où le stagiaire prend lieu et place d’un vrai employé, auquel on donne un rôle et des missions en adéquation avec son domaine. Réalisée sous la conduite d’un directeur ou maître de stage, cette initiation sert au final à favoriser l’insertion professionnelle de l’intéressé.
As far as the internship report is concerned, this is simply a written account of everything to do with the internship undertaken as part of the practical training. In it, the author describes in detail all the skills and new knowledge acquired during his or her time at the user company or establishment. It thus serves to inform the parties involved in the trainee's training about the experience he or she has gained during his or her time with the company. The document is therefore intended for the company manager, as well as the training manager and director.
The value of an internship report
Le rapport de stage est un résumé d’expérience dans le cadre d’une véritable initiation professionnelle. Il permet à ceux qui la commandent, à savoir le responsable d’entreprise et celui de l’établissement d’enseignement, d’évaluer et de se donner une idée des compétences pratiques acquises et de la façon dont elles ont été appliquées par le stagiaire. Pour un employeur, il peut déjà constituer un élément de base de données RH, à consulter lors de la sélection de futurs candidats à un poste. Le maître de stage et le directeur de formation, lui, va utiliser le rapport pour cerner l’étudiant en formation. Mais ce document peut aussi servir de base pour l’amélioration des opportunités de stage, ou encore pour améliorer les aspects et les contenus de formation en faveur des nouveaux étudiants ou apprenants.
For a trainee, the internship report is an opportunity to take stock of his or her limits in terms of professional knowledge and skills, and the gains in experience he or she wishes to acquire. It's a kind of self-assessment. Its re-reading will help them to decide whether to continue their studies, strengthen or change their choice of career path, choose a profession, and so on.
An internship may be optional, depending on the training establishment to which the trainee is attached. But very often, the internship report is compulsory at the end of the course, especially in the case of a sandwich course. Writing a work-study report is in fact a sine qua non condition for validating such a course, and thus for justifying the benefits of the various advantages linked to the work-study contract.
When should you write your internship report?
Le rapport ou le compte-rendu de stage doit être présenté en fin de stage. Mais à quel moment commencer à rédiger ? De manière générale, il faut commencer le recueil des informations dès le début du projet. Les premières questions auxquelles il faut trouver réponses touchent notamment l’entreprise et son secteur, ses activités et son fonctionnement, ses projets, etc. Ce sont des données essentielles pour dresser une présentation de l’entreprise d’accueil, mais aussi pour donner un cadre à son projet de rapport. Les autres éléments de rédaction sont recueillis au fur et à mesure.
While it's just as essential to take notes every day in your logbook, selecting relevant information that will enlighten your readers is a constant task. To achieve this, you need to start drawing up your plan as early as the first week of your internship, for example. As you go along, don't hesitate to share your questions and your choice of information with your supervisor.
Creating and drawing up your internship report: what content?
To make it easier to understand understandingIn order to make it easier to understand, the internship report must be written according to a framework studied and defined in advance, taking into account the internship project of course (the object of study in general). This framework may be imposed by the host company, or chosen by the student, in consultation with the internship supervisor. In any case, a certain number of elements must appear in the document in an orderly fashion. Here's a general outline of what an internship report should look like:
- The cover page
This section contains all information about the student (name, training institution, etc.), the company and the details of the internship (date, duration, etc.). All details enabling the author to be distinguished from other trainees are required at this stage.
- Table of contents
It makes it easier to read and detect the various elements that may be of interest to readers.
- An introduction
This is the part that describes the steps taken to find an internship, the problems encountered at this stage, the reasons for choosing the internship, the expectations and objectives for the course and afterwards, and so on.
- Detailed company description
This involves identifying the company in detail: its sector and the nature of its activities, its place in the market, the way it operates, the size of its workforce, and so on.
- Information about your internship
The trainee gives a precise, detailed description of his or her role and tasks and responsibilities within the host company. He provides information about the work environment, about his colleaguesand the manager to whom they report. You can also add your working conditions.
- Summary of internship experience
C’est dans cette partie que le stagiaire s’étend sur son vécu et son expérience durant le stage en entreprise. Il va éclairer les lecteurs sur les applications de ses connaissances théoriques acquises en cours ou en formation, les atouts d’amélioration de compétences dont il a bénéficié dans le cadre d’un travail pratique, ainsi de suite.
- Perspectives and reflections
The trainee shares an analysis of his or her weaknesses and strengths in certain aspects of the work performed. But he also points out areas for improvement in his development development.
In the conclusion, the report gives a personal assessment of the internship. In it, the trainee discusses whether the placement had a positive impact or cast doubt on his or her prospects, whether it encouraged him or her to go ahead with his or her career plan or rather to change direction.
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