SATISFACTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LA RIOJA WITH INTERNSHIPS IN BUSINESSES

External academic internships consist of students collaborating in private businesses with the goal of expanding and enriching their knowledge base to complement that acquired during their university education. There are two formats for external internships: curricular and extracurricular. The unique nature of external internships in private businesses requires different evaluation tools, in academic and procedural terms as well. This study aims to analyze and evaluate the satisfaction of both students and businesses, in general and specific terms, with the internship procedure and experience. The surveys include specific questions regarding different aspects; the results are analyzed and compared. The information gathered and the ensuing analysis should serve to improve future internship experiences. The level of satisfaction can be considered high among students and businesses as well: both rated the experience with a score of 3 out of 5. The main aspect which needs to be re-examined is the duration of curricular internships, given that students and businesses agree that 120 hours is not sufficient enough time.