Strengthening Professional Skills in Engineering Internships: A University-Industry Approach from Uganda with Global Relevance

Abstract

This empirical research paper is a full paper that explores the effectiveness of a pre-internship training program in developing essential professional skills, including communication, technical report writing, and problem-solving, for engineering students at Mbarara University of Science and Technology located in the western region of Uganda in Africa. A one-week training program focusing on communication, technical report writing, and problem-solving was implemented with an intervention group, while a control group did not receive the training. Quantitative analysis involved Shapiro-Wilk and Levene’s tests for normality and homogeneity of variance respectively, followed by paired and independent t-tests to evaluate the impact of the intervention on students' professional skills. The results demonstrated significant improvements in communication and report writing skills, while problem-solving skills showed modest gains. Qualitative feedback highlighted the importance of further refining the training content, extending industrial internship durations, and encouraging companies to increase the number of internship placements for students to ensure greater exposure to real-world professional environments. This study provides valuable insights for enhancing engineering education, particularly in resource-limited contexts, and offers actionable recommendations for improving professional skill development among engineering students.