MED EUROPE INTERN CHARTER
FOR STUDENT INTERNSHIPS IN A PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT

I - INTRODUCTION

Internships are a key factor in young people's career development and access to the job market. An internship offers students the opportunity to use their theoretical knowledge in a professional setting and gives them experience of the business world and its various professions.
It is therefore important to be clear that internships fit within an educational framework, meaning that no internship should exist independently of the educational context. Under no circumstances should an internship be considered a form of employment.
This Charter has been drawn up by Government, Business, Higher Education and Student representatives in order to provide a secure framework for internships and to ensure that they are beneficial both for the interns and for the host companies.

II - SCOPE - DEFINITION

1 - Scope of this Charter
This Charter applies to all student internships in a professional environment, without prejudice to particular regulations applicable to regulated professions.

2 - Internship
The purpose of an internship is to form part of an educational development project, and only makes sense within this framework. The internship must therefore:
- enable students' knowledge to be used in a professional environment;
- bridge the gap between the worlds of Higher Education and Business.
Under no circumstances should an internship be treated as a form of employment.

III - SUPERVISION

1 - Internship Plan
An Internship Plan is drawn up in consultation between a member of teaching staff, a company representative and the student.
This Internship Plan forms the basis of the Agreement executed by the higher education institution, the company and the student.

2 - Agreement
This Agreement lays out the commitments and responsibilities of the higher education institution, the company and the student. The mandatory clauses for an Internship Agreement are mentioned in an Appendix to this Charter.

3 - Length of Internship
The internship length shall be specified during the initial contacts between the higher education institution and the company. The student shall be informed of the internship length.
The internship length shall be explicitly stated in the Internship Agreement.

4 - Supervisors
Every internship shall be supervised by:
- a member of teaching staff from higher education institution,
- a member of company staff.
The teaching staff member and the company staff member shall work together and keep each other mutually informed of the intern's progress and any difficulties encountered.
The supervisor in the higher education institution shall be responsible for ensuring coherence between the aims of the training curriculum and the aims of the internship, according to the principles laid out herein.
Both organisations acknowledge the need for personal involvement and time investment in supervising the internship.

5 - Evaluation & Assessment

a - Evaluation of the Intern
The intern's work will be evaluated on the basis of assessments by both internship supervisors (company and higher education institution). Each higher education institution shall decide the value it places on internships within the course curriculum.
The specific assessment methods shall be stated in the Internship Agreement.
These assessments shall be noted on an "Assessment Report" which, along with the Agreement, forms the "Internship File". This Internship File shall be kept by the higher education institution.

b - Evaluation of the Internship
All signatories of the Agreement are invited to give a quality evaluation for the internship.

IV - MUTUAL COMMITMENTS

1 - Student's Commitment to the Company
The student undertakes to:
- fulfil the requirements of the job and be available for any tasks delegated,
- comply with the company's internal rules, codes of conduct and culture,
- comply with the confidentiality requirements set forth by the company,
- if so required, write the internship report or dissertation within the deadline; this document should be presented to company managers before being submitted (if the content so requires, the company may request that the dissertation be kept confidential).

2 - Company's Commitment to the Student
The company undertakes to:
- offer an internship in line with the educational development plan laid down by the higher education institution,
- welcome the student and give him/her the necessary means to succeed in his/her work,
- appoint an internship supervisor or a supervisory team, whose role is to:
- guide and advise the student;
- give information on the company's internal rules, codes of conduct and culture;
- facilitate integration within the company and provide access to the necessary information,
- help the student acquire the required skills and knowledge,
- supervise the student's work regularly,
- assess the quality of work,
- provide advice on the students professional development plans,
- issue a letter certifying that the internship was completed, describing the tasks undertaken, for the student to subsequently use in a CV.

3 - Higher Education Institution's Commitment to the Student
The higher education institution undertakes to:
- define the internship aims and ensure that he internship offered meets such aims,
- support the student in looking for an internship,
- prepare the student for the internship,
- ensure the student is supervised throughout the internship, assigning a member of teaching staff to ensure the internship goes well; make available to said supervisor the means necessary for assessing the quality of the student's internship,
- where so required, guide and advise the student in writing the internship report or dissertation and organise the relevant viva, enabling a company representative to take part.

4 - Company and Higher Education Institution
The company and higher education institution shall ensure the necessary information is exchanged before, during and after the internship.
They shall further more mutually comply with the respective confidentiality rules and code of conduct.

5 - Student's Commitment to the Higher Education Institution
The student undertakes to provide the higher education institution with an assessment of the quality of the internship..

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