Employability skills through the ACM internship program: does it make a difference

A number of researchers tackle employability skills on the premise that having high levels of these skills translate to effectiveness in the workplace. Literature identified work experience through internship as one of the main sources of employability skills. While there have been several studies conducted on the development of these skills, only a few focus on the impact of the degree program alone. This study assessed the impact and effectiveness of the internship feature of the Applied Corporate Management Program alongside Academic Study and Extra Curricular Activities on the development of an ACM graduates employability skills. This study used quantitative and causal research designs in determining the impact and effectiveness of the ACM Internship Program. Statistical tools included the Paired Sample T-test and Chi-Square Goodness of Fit Test on the surveys of 95 ACM graduates from 2005 to 2009 using a 99% confidence level and 10% margin of error. Results of this study, particularly for the Paired Sample T-test showed significant changes in all the skills before and after completing the internship program. On the other hand, results from the Chi-Square Goodness of Fit Test showed that Academic Study, the ACM internship Program, and Extra-Curricular Activities equally contributed to the development of seven out of eight employability skills. The ACM internship Program meanwhile turned out to contribute significantly to the development of the eight skill, Technology