"The real stuff": R&D internships as real-world learning environment for science, engineering and technology students

Attracting more young people into science, engineering and technology (SET) careers is a challenge for many industrialized nations on the way towards the knowledge-based economy. Large-scale studies such as PISA show a severe lack of young people´s interest in science and engineering-related subjects and even less motivation to pursue an SET-related career for many industrialized countries. Internships are quite common in graduate SET education to provide students with valuable `on-the-job´ learning opportunities. Engaging already secondary-level students in `real life´ science and engineering projects is recommended by experts as a promising approach but still quite novel. The paper will present the empirical results of a nation-wide internship program in Austria which aims at engaging highschool students as interns in `real-life´ research, technological development and innovation (RTDI) projects. Based on the results of a large-scale survey, the paper shows that by providing an authentic learning environment, internships have a positive impact on students´ interest, skills, and long-term career aspirations in SET.