About DeCoDe Internships

An internship is a professional learning experience that offers relevant practical work related to a student’s field of study or career interest. It provide students the opportunity to explore career options and learn new skills needed in the industry. An internship offer an employer the opportunity to bring novel and creative ideas and energy into their workplace, develop new talents and a pipeline for future employees.

Our internship programme therefore seek to offer students the opportunity to gain hands-on industry experience with companies in Ghana and beyond. Over the past decades, the Department of Communication Design has established a remarkable relationship with the industry. It has, in consultation with the industry, structured its curriculum to reflect the demands of current and emerging business practices. For the four-year period in school, second year students are mandated to have a familiarization trip to the industry.

Also, during the second semester vacation in third year (or based on the Department Board decision to start it within the second semester of the third year), as a requirement, students are sent out as interns to selected Advertising Agencies, Design Studios, Multimedia Firms, Printing Houses and many other related companies. International students are eligible to intern with a company from their home country. The internship is scheduled for a period of eight (8) weeks minimum and ten (10) weeks maximum. In the case where the internship starts within the second semester, the Interns are required to report back to school to complete the semester and academic year. (See the DeCoDe Internship Guidelines and Procedures document)

Note: Students should understand that this is not a paid internship programme.

Student benefits:

Students would have the opportunity to ;

• Gain relevant on-the-job work experience
• Learn and apply 21st century skills
• Self-assess their knowledge and skills, and where to improve if need be
• Develop professional contacts in the field
• Develop professional job-ready portfolios
• Gain exposure to upper management

Industry benefits:

The industry also benefit as;

• Students receive training in their area of specialization to support the work in their places of internship
• Students often bring fresh approaches and new ideas for creative commercial projects.
• Companies gain the opportunity to identify new, young and vibrant talents for recruitment.
• Prepare tomorrow’s workforce using real-life projects.
• Utilize a cost effective employment strategy whiles meeting short-term staffing needs

Student Assessment:

Our internship programme is assessed is based on multiple strategies covering the following courses;

• DAD 350 PORTFOLIO (3) –  Portfolio of works undertaken during the internship period.
• DAD 352 FIELD REPORT (LONG ESSAY) (4) –  Problem solving mini-projects carried out by students during the period.
• DAD 354 FIELD REPORT (3) – Field report on mini-projects undertaken while on industrial attachment.

Industry Collaborations:

Some of the companies our students have been working with are listed below: