A 20-year evolution of internships: implications for retail interns, employers and educators

For decades, retail educators and companies have agreed that internships play a vital role in students' retail education. Overall, the perceived value of internships/internship programmes and the attitude towards them have remained fairly stable and positive. However, the role of internships, their structure and the way they are administered have changed. After reviewing relevant literature, we identified five dimensions as major trends/changes regarding internships or internship programmes over the past 20 years: 1) internships: the new recruiting tool; 2) increased endorsement of internships by retailers and educators; 3) paid vs. non-paid internships: a legal issue?; 4) structure of internship programmes revamped; and 5) socialization of interns: creating a bond. Each dimension is discussed in detail and practical implications for retail interns, employers and educators are presented.