Alumni outcomes show global internships enhance employability.
The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) and the Institute of International Education (IIE) this week published a research report entitled Standing out in a competitive market: The impact of a global internship on career readiness.
Using survey responses from individuals who completed an internship outside of their home country between 2013 and 2023, the research team studied the impact of a global internship experience on skills acquisition, future employment and more. Survey respondents were global internship alumni from eight different internship providers and included both Americans who interned in a location outside the United States and international participants who interned in the United States.
Researchers found that participation in a global internship has an overall positive impact on the development of 21st-century job skills, with 81 percent of internship survey respondents indicating that participation in a global internship supported their development of a wide range of 21st-century job skills relevant to their professional and academic journeys.
Plus, three in four alumni confirmed that participating in an internship abroad was helpful in acquiring their first full-time job, with 85 percent of respondents highlighting their experiences and skills in their CVs and professional profiles, and one in four employed respondents currently working at the same organisation where they completed their internship.
“This research confirms that global internships are a powerful tool for acquiring soft skills essential for the global workplace, including intercultural skills and communication, flexibility and adaptability,” said Dr. Mirka Martel, Head of Research, Evaluation & Learning at IIE. “These skills, as well as the unique networking opportunities a global internship provides, are furthering global internship alumni’s career outcomes after graduation.”
One interesting finding of the research is that global internships attract a more diverse pool of students than the traditional study-abroad population, with nearly half of all global internship survey respondents identifying as students of colour, in comparison to 34 percent of study abroad students, as reported by Open Doors. Sixty-four percent of global interns identified with one or more underrepresented backgrounds (e.g. first-generation college students) and a greater percentage of male and nonbinary students participated in study abroad programming that included an internship component than in traditional study abroad programmes.
“Research shows that students and parents expect colleges to provide a gateway to career readiness,” said Dr. James P. Pellow, president and CEO of CIEE. “And nothing provides that better than a global internship that enhances the hard and soft skills that employers are seeking while providing students with a broader world view and a professional network for life.”
More discussion of the vital link between global programmes, institutional goals and student success will happen at the 13th Annual CIEE Global Internship Conference, taking place June 25-27, 2025, in Singapore.
