Blended remote internships in IT companies discussed at Plone Conference 2022

At the recent Plone Conference 2022 in Namur, Belgium, Jens Klein of Klein & Partner KG, Austria gave a talk on "Guidelines for a Blended Remote Internship in IT Companies". The talk presented a new concept for remote internships, developed as part of the Erasmus+ project "ITONBOARD".

According to Klein, the main focus of an internship should be to integrate the intern into the reality of the company. "The authenticity of the internship to the true process and reality of work in the company is important," said Klein.

Christine Baumgartner, a leading author of the internship guideline, emphasized the importance of effective communication in a remote internship. "The communication process is the be-all and end-all in a remote company," said Baumgartner.

The concept for the blended remote internship was developed by combining best practices from IT companies, knowledge about internships, experiences with e-learning, and scholarships for online student projects. The team also conducted interviews with CEOs and employees of remote working companies, as well as teachers and students in participating countries.

Klein also acknowledged the support of Prof. Bernd Gössling from the University of Innsbruck, an expert in vocational learning, who provided important pedagogical insights for the project. Overall, the talk provided valuable guidelines for implementing successful remote internships in IT companies.