What type of students participate in the programme?

• - The internship programme is available to our Level II and Level III students pursuing undergraduate degrees in Computer Science and Information Technology with the Department of Computing and Information Technology (DCIT) at The University of the West Indies.
• - Computer Science students focus on the core skills and understanding of the requirements for building complex software applications for business problems that do not have an existing ‘off-the-shelf’ software solution. They can also facilitate the customization of an existing solution for specific needs such as reporting and other analytical and machine-learning based problems.
• - Information Technology (IT) students focus on the process of understanding business needs and how software solutions and processes can be used to enhance the productivity and operation of businesses. While IT students similarly have competence in developing software solutions, their focus is on understanding how to utilize (and modify) existing solutions to provide maximum benefit for existing business needs.

What are the benefits of the programme?

The internship programme provides tangible benefits to all the stakeholders involved. Participating in the internship programme will allow organizations to:

• - Promote/ deliver corporate social responsibility
• - Gain early access to Computer Science and Information Technology graduates
• - Build a steady pipeline of young and qualified talent
• - Try out different candidates to determine the best fit
• - Mentor future ICT professionals
• - Test drive high risk and innovative ideas (through research and rapid prototyping)
• - Increase their visibility at the UWI and in the wider community

How to become part of the programme?

The department is willing to hold discussions with prospective companies to open up internship opportunities for our students. The degree of formality between The UWI and the partner institutions depends on the nature of the work involved and the extent to which the department’s supervisors are involved in the development and design of the solutions.

The following are a series of scenarios based on our previous experience:

What are my responsibilities in the programme?

The host institution:

• - Will assign a member of staff to supervise the intern on a day-to-day basis.
• - Is expected to give the intern some time off bi-weekly to meet with his/her UWI supervisor.
• - In collaboration with the Department of Computing and Information Technology, the intern’s supervisor has to assess intern’s progress throughout the duration of the internship
• - Will meet with the intern’s supervisor from the Department of Computing and Information Technology supervisor towards the end of the internship to agree on the final grade that each intern will receive.
• - Will make necessary provisions to facilitate the virtual meetings with the Department of Computing and Information Technology supervisor. 

What are UWI’s responsibilities in the programme?

• - Members of academic staff from the Department of Computing and Information Technology of the UWI provide academic and technical supervision to students participating in the internship programme. The interns are required to complete a weekly report and email it to the assigned supervisors. The form details the tasks completed for the given week, the tasks to be completed in the upcoming week, and identifies issues and challenges being faced by the intern.
• - Interns have bi-weekly meetings with their supervisors at an appointed time. During these meetings the interns provide tangible evidence of the work completed and elicit feedback and guidance on subsequent project tasks.   

Members of academic staff from the DCIT will be responsible for:

• - Providing academic and technical supervision
• - Reviewing weekly progress reports
• - Hosting bi-weekly meetings to review progress

How much will my participation cost?

• - We expect that the host institution will grant a stipend to interns during the internship period. We recommend a stipend in the range or $2000.00 to $3000.00 per month. However, depending on circumstances, the host institution and Department of Computing and Information Technology may agree to an amount outside this range.

What are the timelines for participation?

Table 1 - Timelines for Industry Participation