The study on Professional Internship I of Industrial Civil Engineering students at the Universidad Arturo Prat reveals that this formative instance is fundamental to the development of both technical and transversal competencies necessary for their labor market insertion. Evaluations provided by direct supervisors show that most students obtain high ratings in criteria such as professionalism, workplace relationships, and initiative, which indicates effective integration into the work environment and a proactive attitude toward assigned responsibilities. Regarding technical knowledge, the majority demonstrate an adequate command of content, although some students exhibit areas that require improvement. The sectors where professional internships are concentrated are mainly commerce and education, accounting for almost half of the experiences, while sectors such as mining, fishing, and transportation have low representation. This concentration suggests the need to promote greater diversification of internship opportunities to enrich training and expand employability prospects. The main contribution of the study lies in evidencing the importance of professional internships as a bridge between academic training and the world of work, integrating employer evaluations to adjust and improve the curriculum. For future projections, it is recommended to conduct longitudinal follow-up comparing the evolution of competencies across different internship stages, and to collect students’ direct perceptions to complement quantitative data, which will enable optimization of the formative experience and strengthen students’ professional preparation.
Apala et al. (Mon,) studied this question.