The Impact of Fashion Merchandising Internships on Careers

Citation

Jacquelene Robeck; Sharon Pate; Allison Pattison; Jessica Pattison(2013).The Impact of Fashion Merchandising Internships on Careers. The Journal of Cooperative Education and Internships, 47(1) 31-46

Authors

Allison Pattison Jacquelene Robeck Jessica Pattison Sharon Pate

Keywords

Business education fashion merchandising fashion marketing internship retailing co-operative education

Abstract

This research describes the exploration, expansion, and enhancement of fashion mer­chandising internships from 1998-2010 in a small fashion merchandising program of 100 students in a mid-sized southern state university. This study examines the relation­ship of the college internship and the graduate’s current job. Academic departments continuously review curriculum and consider the inclusion, continuation, enhancement, or deletion of a college internship in their programs. Often questions arise, such as, Should the fashion merchandising program curriculum require an internship for credit; what is the value of the internship; is an internship experience measureable? Internship records were kept for 13 years at a United States public university. Number, internship placement sites, and current employment of college graduates was analyzed. The purpos­es of this study were to examine the components of fashion merchandising internships and assess the impact of factors such as university regulations and small town internship employers on students’ careers after graduation. This research study revealed that intern­ships at non-local fashion businesses were positively related to successful current fashion employment. Continuation of an internship program is determined by internship place­ment sites, graduates’ current jobs and locations, local and non-local fashion businesses, and faculty recommendations.

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