Working is not the same as studying. On that we agree. But it is true that a good way to prepare for the world of work without sweetened expectations is to carry out internships during the study period that help to understand what working life will be like when joining a company.
Wow, knowing what the topic is going to be about and what things you are going to find is also important for your professional future. That the same while you study everything seems like a panacea and then the time comes and you don’t know where you’ve gotten.
In order for professional internships during regulated studies to be adequate, it is not only convenient to adapt the content and methodology appropriately to the experience, but also to know what number of hours are adequate to make these internships a constructive experience.
Because, let’s see, let’s be honest: if you have to go, go. But, go for nothing, nonsense. So that each student can make good use of the hours of higher-level internships, the system has agreed on an adequate number of sessions to be able to effectively apply the knowledge of professional training to work practice.
The Professional Training cycles include an internship module, a kind of real-world trial that seeks to give you a first impression of what your professional future will consist of and that, in addition, you can start polishing your skills and abilities in a real environment. .
Whether you have doubts about what FP to study or if you are already up to your neck in preparing for the future in the most practical way, or even if you are already thinking about what to do after studying a higher degree, you should be clear about what does internships consist of and everything related to higher FP internship hours.
What are FP internships?
You will surely know them colloquially, but officially, the professional module corresponding to the execution of tasks in a work center related to your training is called the professional module of training in work centers (FCT) .
These are the well-known company practices and are traditionally significant in Vocational Training studies, not only because they do not exist in other types of regulated studies at that level, but because they are considered as one more subject to be overcome.
But beware, because even if it looks like a “Maria”, it is far from being easy to overcome if you do not have the necessary training and qualifications.
In order to do company internships or, what is the same, to take the training module in workplaces, each student must have obtained a positive evaluation of the subjects corresponding to the training cycle completed.
That is, you approve or you don’t. As simple as that.
If you are part of the student body of Campus Cámara FP you will not have to worry about this, because everyone knows that our students are real cracks that they take the courses with the left and blindfolded. And if you don’t know, we’ll tell you, we don’t have a grandmother.
Jokes aside, we have a high success rate in professional training studies and our teaching staff is dedicated to helping our students get through the training stages to make their dream of acquiring a professional degree come true.
Let’s get back to the subject: once you have passed the requirement to pass the subjects corresponding to the professional family you have chosen, you will be able to carry out the internship choosing between different options of companies collaborating with the training centers (or propose the one that is of your interest to try to include it among the available options).
The result will be suitable or not suitable and this decision will correspond to the person responsible for your tutoring at the work center and your FCT tutor (remember that they are the acronym for Training in Work Centers; internships, go).
Characteristics of Training in Work Centers
Although the internships themselves will depend on each company in particular (not all are the same even if they do the same thing), basically it is about carrying out activities related to the studies you have completed.
These activities or tasks are carried out temporarily in a collaborating company with the aim of improving the learning received and learning to apply theoretical knowledge on a practical basis.
In short, do a kind of test of what it will be like to work in the real world.
The internships are something like a rehearsal, a training of what your future work experience will be, but with the guarantee of a parachute, since you will have a company tutor and a study tutor who will help you answer any questions and will guide you in the process.
Consider them the starting gun. You will be able to know what it is like to be part of a company and perform functions related to your profession that will help you to improve, learn even more and test your ability and knowledge. Like the driving test: first you do the theory and then the practical.
How long do FP internships last?
The hours of higher grade internships are officially determined within the descriptive curriculum of each of the training cycles, in this case in the one corresponding to the Higher Grade.
The duration of the module is decided based on a calendar agreed between the collaborating company and the tutors of the educational center in which you have enrolled. The total hours of higher vocational training are in line with the hours of the same professional profile.
The hours of internships for the higher level of FP are a total of 400 hours , as in the case of the intermediate level. However, unlike the Higher VET practical hours , the Basic Training qualifications only have 240 hours of FCT.
With regard to timetables, it is not only important to know how many hours of internships a higher degree has , but to be clear that attendance at them is just as important as attendance at class since, in reality, it is something as well as a practical class in a different setting.
It may seem that the hours of internships in FP are a walk on the beach, because you do not have to be aware of acquiring the knowledge properly as in the theoretical classes.
However, non-attendance or the accumulation of unjustified absences can cause you many problems (not to mention that it can lead to the cancellation of registration).
Remember that the limit is 15% of the training hours (or, in this case, of the practical hours) or in the absence for 15 school days to the modules, such as the FCT.
Do you think they are too many? Absolutely! Time will fly by. Think that 400 hours of higher grade practices are 50 days ; that is, 10 weeks working in which you will learn while having fun and doing what you are most passionate about.