A condition of the engineering internship is that the internship company fulfils the following requirements:
- At the internship company there must be the necessary professional expertise for thorough supervision and professional support for students during their interhship. It would normally be expected that there was at least one person employed at the workplace who was a qualified engineer within the relevant subject area or who had corresponding competence achieved through qualifications and/or through a number of years of engineering practice. It is, however, important that the engineering environment at the workplace is not borne by one person alone, for the internship company should be prepared and able to offer the student the necessary coaching, supervision and critical feedback.
- The internship company should be familiar with the content, aims and objectives of the internship.
- The company must be a part of the SDU internship contract between SDU, the student and the internship company. The contract covers where the internship is to be held, its extent (in working hours) and name etc. of the person responsible at the internship company.
- The internship should be in the nature of a learning process with associated supervision, reflection and evaluation. The process follows a plan of activity, which is prepared by the student in collaboration with internship company. The plan of activity must be approved by the student’s internship supervisor, while the internship contract is approved by internship organisation linked to the institute.
- The internship company can insist that students sign a confidentiality clause.
The company must:
- Instruct the intern on internal rules relating to safety, monitoring etc.
- Undertake to keep the intern insured against work-related accident and any other risk related to the execution of the engineering internship and to meet any cost associated with this.
- In accordance with the Lov om ansættelsesbeviser (Law on employment certification) provide the intern with a copy of relevant pay and conditions, if the intern is subject to them.
- Complete the questionnaire they are sent about the course of the internship. This forms the basis for the evaluation of the intern’s period of internship.
In addition:
- In Denmark: The net monthly salary makes up the amount cited in the internship contract and is paid monthly in arrears no later than on the last weekday of every month. The intern has a right to 12.5% holiday pay if s/he is paid a salary. The company must pay the holiday money to Feriekonto. The student has no right to pay for periods of illness or other absence.
- The ownership of any results protected by copyright or potentially patentable that interns wholly or in part contribute to as part of their task while the internship agreement is in force and as part of the interns’ work belong to the company.
- An internship supervisor from the University of Southern Denmark visits the internship company during the internship as far as this is possible to advise the intern and to ensure the best possible contact between the company and the University of Southern Denmark.
- During their internship, interns must write a form of diary, which is concluded in a report. The company has the right to receive a copy of the report. The report must not contain information covered by the confidentiality clause.
In the event of illness:
- Interns must report absence due to illness to the company without undue delay. Their notification should be carried out in accordance with the staff directives applicable to the company. At the request of the company, documentation for the illness should be provided in the form of a doctor’s note on the fourth day of illness. In the event of longer periods of illness, that is to say those over 14 days, interns should immediately inform the internship administration at the Engineering Faculty and the appropriate internship supervisor. It is possible subsequently, after consultation with the company, that a clause can be added to the contract relating to an extension of the contract corresponding to the period of illness.
Termination of the agreement:
- After prior consultation with the Engineering Faculty at the University of Southern Denmark, the company can conclude the internship in the following cases:
- Due to illness of longer duration
- Due to absence without leave
- Due to other serious infringements of the terms of the internship contract – including, for example, failure to abide by the confidentiality clause or by the company’s rules.
No matter what the cause, with the termination of the agreement it is the responsibility of the intern to return to the company any materials etc that are in their possession and which relate to the intern’s company, regardless of whether these are in electronic or paper form. The intern cannot invoke the right of retention of material belonging to the company.