Key skills and competencies in internship evaluation sheets

The Master in multilingual communication (MULT) was first offered by the Université catholique de Louvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium) in 2004-2005. The major objectives of this two-year multidisciplinary programme (120 credits), which was born out of a one-year diploma in multilingual business communication, are (1) to help students develop business communication skills in two languages (Dutch, English, French or German) and (2) to provide students with a multi-faceted understanding of the business world (with e.g. courses in communication, economics and management) and of the economic, legal, social and political aspects of the countries where the two languages chosen are spoken. The programme has a strong professional focus and students are required to complete a three-month internship in a company where at least one of the two major languages chosen is spoken (in Belgium or abroad). This paper sets out to present the findings of an investigation of the key skills and competencies mentioned by internship supervisors (both in Belgium and abroad) in the evaluation sheets they are required to fill in at the end of a student’s internship to assess both the student’s performance in the tasks assigned and the student’s language skills. The set of skills and competencies brought to light is then compared with the various learning outcomes formulated for the (courses in the) programme. The paper also discusses how the findings may help us fine-tune the programme further to better meet the needs of both students and employers.