How to Write an Internship (Training) Report

 Written and Organized By Rana Asif Shahzad Ali

What is an internship report?                                          

An internship report is a summary of your internship experience that many employers require to complete your time at their organization as well as required by your institution. The internship report is important because it informs your educator/instructor/employer of the lessons and skills you learned and the opportunities you had to apply those skills.

Your internship report includes relevant details about your intern experience, such as a description of your position with the organization, the tasks you completed and the skills you learned. Your director/ mentor or instructor may use this report to improve internship opportunities or lessons for incoming students.

When is an internship report necessary?

Not all educational programs will require an internship report. However, if your organization needs one, make sure to give yourself adequate time to prepare it. You may find it helpful to take notes throughout your internship experience to remember any important details. Even if your program does not require an internship report, it can still be useful as a personal resource to evaluate this important learning experience.

An internship report should cover key details of your internship experience. It should also include an overview of the skills you developed. Keep in mind, however, that you should certainly follow any instructions your internship employer gave you in regards to your report. Those instructions might include required content, formatting, due dates and more. Use the following steps to create your internship report:

• ·         Draft a suitable title page.
• ·         Letter of Undertaking
• ·         Scanned copy of the internship certificate (provided by the organization)
• ·         Dedication (Optional)
• ·         Acknowledgement
• ·         Executive Summary
• ·         Create a table of contents covering the complete contents.
• ·         Include background information on the company.
• ·         Include your position and responsibilities in the internship.
• ·         Discuss what you learned and the skills you developed.
•        Basic Analysis like SMART, PEST, SWOT etc.
• ·         Conclude with ongoing considerations.
• ·         Reference and sources.
• ·         Annexes (Important).

1. Draft a suitable title page

This separates your report from other interns who may also be submitting reports. The title page of the report will include:  

• ·         Name of the organization
• ·         Name of the internee, Student ID and session
• ·         Submission date of the internship report
• ·         Name of the University
• ·         Institution logo

 2. Letter of Undertaking

You are required to fill in the Letter of Undertaking and attach here the scanned copy after signing it.

 3. Scanned copy of the internship certificate (provided by the organization)

Attach the scanned copy of your (original) Internship Completion certificate provided by the organization.

4. Dedication (Optional)

If you want to dedicate your work to someone, you may write the dedication note under this section of your internship report.

5. Acknowledgment

In this section you acknowledge the help and support of all the people who helped you in completion of your internship and internship report e.g. the library staff, course instructor, family or any other person.

6. Executive Summary

Executive summary previews every section of the report in a short form. It can be called as micro image of the report. It helps the reader to get a quick glance at the report before reading it in detail. Everything important that you have done, discovered and concluded should be mentioned but briefly and concisely.

7. Create a table of contents covering complete list of contents.

It can also be useful to include a table of contents with your internship report. This should be the first page in your report since it allows readers to navigate to the parts of the report they are most interested in reading.

8. Include background information on the company

Your report should include a relevant history of the organization. Include information like the date it was founded, the business’s purpose or mission statement, the types of tasks the company completes daily and any other relevant details.

Overview of the Organization (word limit: min. 300 words)

• ·         Brief history
• ·         Introduction of the organization
• ·         Policy of the organization
• ·         Competitors

Organizational Structure (word limit: min. 300 words)

• ·         Organizational Hierarchy chart
• ·         Number of employees
• ·         Main offices
• ·         Introduction of all the departments
• ·         Comments on the organizational structure 

 9. Include your position and responsibilities in the internship

The body of your internship report will focus on your experiences with the organization. Before detailing your experience and the lessons you learned, it can be useful to describe your position and responsibilities as an intern with the company. Doing so will give your reader a more complete overview of your internship and allow you to discuss your accomplishments in the role.

Plan of your internship program (word limit: min. 300 words)

• ·         A brief introduction of the branch/ area office of the organization where you did your internship
• ·         Starting and ending dates of your internship
• ·         Names of the departments in which you got training and the duration of your training

10. Discuss what you learned and the skills you developed

In the main portion of your internship report, you will describe the specific things you learned and the skills you cultivated. Relate these skills back to your educational experiences. Detail specific experiences within the organization that contributed to your development.

11. Conclude with ongoing considerations

It can also be useful to consider the skills or experiences that you would still like to develop. For example, if you wish you had been able to get more direct client experience, discuss that. If you had hoped to be more involved in the technical aspect of the business, you could mention that as well. This process gives your insight into things you want to continue working on in your next position, while also recommending ways the organization can improve its internship program.

Important Note:

Keep in mind that multiple individuals could read your internship report, including your internship supervisor and other company management. If the internship is part of your College/ University, your instructor, classmates and other fellow officials might also read your report. Maintain a professional method of communication and carefully proofread your report before submitting it.

12. References & Sources

In this section, provide all the references and sources in APA format that you have used for data collection in your Internship Report.

13. Annexes

At the end of your report, attach all of the supportive material you have used for the preparation of your report, like brochures, forms, newsletters, interviews, questionnaires, news reports, articles, features, columns etc.