Page 33 - BusinessWest February 7, 2022

looking to enter the medical field. Bloomgarden described the experi-
ences of students in the nursing pro- gram at the Elms, and how they have been continuing with clinical place- ments even with the pandemic.
“They are, in many ways, front- line workers,” he said. “Our students are conducting experiential learning in the same way that the permanent, full-time employees of the organiza- tions hosting them are asking of their employees.”
Internship programs in Western Mass. colleges and universities have found that both students and employ- ers now expect a conversation about the possibility of a virtually formatted internship. The high level of adaptabil- ity shown by employers has positively impacted students by allowing them internship opportunities even during very uncertain times.
“Employers are seeing the value of interns and the value of internships
as an education practice,” Bloomgar- den said. “Internships help with career readiness... they deepen one’s under- standing of one’s discipline, having a chance to apply the methods, whatever the field is.”
Community Impact
Whether in-person, hybrid, or fully
remote, leaders of internship programs still assert that internships in any for- mat are substantially beneficial to stu-
a career,” Layng said. “They are going to prepare you for what it’s like, getting ready for the professional world.”
Bloomgarden spoke of the numer- ous ways that internships are beneficial not only to the students themselves, but also to the businesses they work at and the communities they are a part of.
“Internships and experiential learn- ing can enable active citizenship and the advancement of social action,” he said. “Our job is to encourage and sup- port the development of those path- ways to making positive impact on the world. We want to encourage them in becoming meaningful contributors to their communities.” u
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BusinessWest
EDUCATION
FEBRUARY 7, 2022 33
“
citizenship and the advancement of social action.”
Internships and experiential learning can enable active
dents — and for a variety of reasons. Both Layng and Bloomgarden enthusi- astically emphasized the importance of internships and the value they provide for a student’s future career.
“It’s a really good stepping stone to
He added that student feedback has been mostly satisfactory, with students expressing that they feel like they are still getting a quality internship even if a fair percentage of them are partially or completely remote.
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