✽Implementation Stages:
The Ministry of Education has reiterated that off-campus student internships form an integral part of the formal curriculum offered by schools. All departments are required to design internship courses in alignment with their respective professional attributes and development directions. They should also assign on-campus internship advisors to collaborate with counselors from internship providers to deliver practical guidance, with the aim of cultivating students’ core professional employability for future careers.
The implementation of off-campus student internships is generally divided into three stages, as outlined below:
I. Before the Internship
(I) Both faculty members and students may recommend potential internship providers, and their departments should conduct a preliminary evaluation in accordance with the applicable laws, regulations, and rules.
1. Departments should verify the qualifications of prospective internship providers through the Ministry of Education’s Internship Provider Inquiry System and keep a record of the inquiry results. If the inquiry result indicates an anomaly (red light), departments should conduct a thorough evaluation before proceeding with cooperation. If cooperation is deemed necessary despite the anomaly, the internship provider must sign a guarantee confirming that all student internship locations (such as branch offices or stores) comply with the Ministry of Education’s laws and regulations.
2. Departments should assign personnel to visit prospective internship providers and conduct on-site evaluations to ensure the quality and professional relevance of the internship, safeguard students’ rights and interests, and verify compliance with workplace safety standards. (Reference: Internship Provider Evaluation Form)
3. After the department-level Off-campus Student Internship Committee has reviewed and formally approved the evaluation records of the prospective internship provider, departments proceed with signing the off-campus student internship agreement and developing an individual internship plan. (Reference: Off-campus Student Internship Agreement; Individual Internship Plan)
(II) Departments are required to purchase group accident insurance for all students undertaking an off-campus internship and should bear the full cost of the insurance premiums. International students are required to obtain a valid work permit before commencing the internship and comply with restrictions on weekly working hours. (Reference: Shinkong Insurance Co., Ltd.)
(III) Departments should hold a pre-internship orientation session to brief students on the internship procedures, their rights and interests, important precautions, and relevant emergency contact information. (Reference: Pre-internship Orientation Session Form)
(IV) Departments should verify that students have completed pre-internship safety training online, including courses on labor laws, workplace safety, gender equality, and the prevention of workplace bullying. (Students should log in according to their designated category: Domestic students (Main Campus), Domestic students (Medical Campus), or International Students)
II. During the Internship
(I) Guidance and Visits: Internship advisors are required to conduct at least one on-site visit to the internship provider to review students’ learning progress, work assignments, and workplace safety. They should also keep a record of each visit. (Reference: Records of Supervision for Off-Campus Internship Courses)
(II) Safety Care: In addition to on-site visits, internship advisors or departments should regularly monitor students’ adaptation and psychological well-being through phone calls or digital communication tools, and provide necessary support and guidance. In the event of any unexpected or controversial incidents, the department-level Off-campus Student Internship Committee should intervene promptly.
III. After the Internship
(I) Feedback on Internship Outcomes: Students and internship providers should complete feedback questionnaires, respectively. In addition, students are required to submit an internship reflection report or outcome report, which will serve as an important reference for course evaluation or credit recognition. (Reference: Feedback questionnaires for students and internship providers)
(II) Improvement Mechanism: The department-level Off-campus Student Internship Committee should evaluate the performance of internship providers and the effectiveness of student rights protection based on feedback questionnaire results, with the aim of continuously improving the quality of internship courses.
For more detailed information, please refer to the Ministry of Education’s Reference Manual for Promoting Off-Campus Student Internships at Colleges and Universities.
✽Legal Basis:
1. MOE Laws
． Implementation Regulations for Industry-Academia Collaboration of Institutions of Higher Education (Amended on June 23, 2025)
． General Explanation of Performance Evaluation Methods for Internship Courses of Institutions of Higher Education (Promulgated on October 12, 2015)
2. ISU Regulations and Rules
． Regulations for the Establishment of Student Internship Committee at I-Shou University
． Regulations for the Implementation of Off-campus Student Internships at I-Shou University
In accordance with Paragraph 1, Article 6-2 of the Implementation Regulations for Industry-Academia Collaboration of Institutions of Higher Education, as amended on June 23, 2025, starting from February 1, 2026, internship providers should meet the following requirements:
1. The internship provider should be duly established or legally registered. (For verification, please refer to the following websites: Get Information about Businesses Registration in Taiwan - Ministry of Economic Affairs; Medical Affairs Inquiry System - Ministry of Health and Welfare)
2. The internship provider should have adequate personnel to provide training and guidance, as well as appropriate facilities and equipment.
3. The internship provider should not be a business entity engaged in labor dispatch services.
The following legal requirements may be verified through the Ministry of Education’s Internship Provider Inquiry System (the inquiry period should cover the two years preceding the internship start date indicated in the off-campus student internship agreement). If the inquiry result indicates an anomaly (red light), departments should conduct a thorough evaluation before proceeding with cooperation.
4. No major occupational accidents should have occurred at the proposed internship location within the two years preceding the internship start date. However, this requirement does not apply if the employer can provide evidence demonstrating that it was not at fault for the incident.
5. Within the two years preceding the internship start date, the internship provider should not have been subject to administrative penalties for violations of Article 78 or 80 of the Labor Standards Act; Paragraph 2, Article 79 of the Labor Standards Act on two or more occasions; or Paragraph 1, Article 79 of the Labor Standards Act on three or more occasions.
6. Within the two years preceding the internship start date, the internship provider should not have violated the Labor Occupational Accident Insurance and Protection Act or the Labor Pension Act, and should have no record of unpaid or overdue occupational accident insurance premiums, labor pension contributions, or related fines.
7. Within the two years preceding the internship start date, the internship provider should not have been subject to administrative penalties for violations of the Gender Equality in Employment Act involving gender discrimination or sexual harassment, or for violations of the Employment Service Act involving employment discrimination.
Departments should verify that prospective internship providers meet all applicable legal requirements before students begin their internships. Internship providers should also be reviewed and approved by the department-level Off-campus Student Internship Committee.
Departments offering off-campus internship courses should complete the data entry and upload the required documents to the Off-Campus Internship Course Platform according to the following schedule:
1. Within two weeks of the start of the semester
A completed application form for off-campus internship courses
2. Within two weeks of the internship start date
The internship provider evaluation form, the signed off-campus student internship agreements, and proof of group accident insurance
3. Within twelve weeks of the start of the semester
The name of the internship provider, the internship location(s), a list of students undertaking the internship, individual internship plans, the internship handbook, the pre-internship orientation session, and pre-internship safety training
4. Within four weeks of the start of the following semester
Records of supervision for off-campus internship courses, internship course reports, feedback questionnaire results from both students and internship providers, students’ internship reflection reports, outcome reports or final presentations, meeting minutes of the department-level Off-campus Student Internship Committee, and records of any internship-related irregularities
The Ministry of Education conducted a public tender process for the procurement of group accident insurance for college students undertaking off-campus internships in Academic Year 2025 through an inter-entity supply contract. Shinkong Insurance Co., Ltd. was awarded the contract.
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No. |
Question |
Answer |
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Q: What mechanisms
and performance indicators should be established to evaluate internship
courses? |
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2 |
Q: If a
student independently secures an internship or job opportunity, or
participates in a project or initiative with an external organization (e.g.,
an enterprise, organization, or institution), and the nature of the work
aligns with the nature of professional internship courses offered by the
University, may such experience be recognized for course credit? |
|
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3 |
Q: Is an
off-campus internship equivalent to part-time employment? |
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|
4 |
Q: Are
student interns considered apprentices as defined in Chapter VIII of the Labor
Standards Act? |
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5 |
Q: How
should the University select quality internship providers? |
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6 |
Q: How can
the University determine whether an internship provider is not a business
entity engaged in labor dispatch services? |
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7 |
Q: If an
internship provider (e.g., a foreign company) requires its regular labor
dispatch service company to act as the primary entity for signing the
off-campus student internship agreement with the University, due to internal
policies or human resource management needs, can the University accept this
arrangement and cooperate with the labor dispatch service company for
internships? |
|
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8 |
Q: How
should the phrase “over the past two years” in Article 6-2 of the
Implementation Regulations for Industry-Academia Collaboration of
Institutions of Higher Education be calculated? |
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9 |
Q: Is an
on-site evaluation also required for overseas internship providers? |
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10 |
Q: For
internship providers that have established a long-term cooperative
relationship with the University and have consistently received favorable
evaluation results, is the University still required to send personnel to
conduct annual on-site evaluations?
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|
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11 |
Q: What are
the “international conventions” referred to in Subparagraphs 4 and 5,
Paragraph 4, Article 6-2 of the Implementation Regulations for
Industry-Academia Collaboration of Institutions of Higher Education that
overseas internship providers should not have seriously violated? |
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12 |
Q: When
students participate in off-campus internships and no employment relationship
is established between the internship provider and the student, and,
therefore, the internship provider does not enroll the student in labor
insurance, how should insurance coverage be handled? |
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13 |
Q: Can
student interns be enrolled in labor insurance? |
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14 |
Q: If an
internship provider already offers students labor insurance or other
commercial group insurance, is the University still required to provide students
with group accident insurance for off-campus internships? |
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15 |
Q: If an
off-campus student internship agreement was signed before the effective date
of Article 6-2 of the Implementation Regulations for Industry-Academia
Collaboration of Institutions of Higher Education (i.e., February 1, 2026),
will the internship collaboration continue until the end of the internship
under the terms of the original agreement? |
|
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16 |
Q: If an
internship provider violates any of the requirements specified in Article 6-2
of the Implementation Regulations for Industry-Academia Collaboration of
Institutions of Higher Education after signing the off-campus student
internship agreement or during the internship, is the University required to
terminate the internship cooperation immediately? |
|
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17 |
Q: If a
prospective internship provider is a branch office or branch store of a
group, or a branch factory, industrial park, or independently operated unit
of a large enterprise, how does the University assess and decide whether to
establish an internship partnership with that entity? |
|
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18 |
Q: When the
University intends to establish an internship partnership with a branch
office, branch store, branch factory, or independently operated unit that
complies with all applicable laws and regulations, what serves as the basis
for determining the content of the guarantee, and what principles govern its
implementation? |
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19 |
Q: May an
internship provider frequently or arbitrarily reassign students to different
locations to perform related duties based on business operations or
operational needs? |
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20 |
Q: How does
the University arrange accommodation and transportation for student interns? |
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21 |
Q: What
actions should the University take if a student performs poorly during an
internship and the internship provider recommends that the student be
dismissed? |
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22 |
Q: Can an
internship provider refuse on-site visits conducted by the University? |
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23 |
Q: What
actions should the University take if a gender-related incident occurs during
a student’s internship?
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|
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24 |
Q: Who
should students contact if they encounter any problems during their
internship? |
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25 |
Q: Is an
evaluation mechanism required after the internship course ends? |
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26 |
Q: If a
student undertakes an off-campus internship for a full year or half a year,
can the student be exempted from tuition and other required fees? |
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27 |
Q: Can
students take a leave of absence during their internship? |
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28 |
Q: What
regulations and procedures govern the establishment, organization, and
operation of an off-campus student internship committee? |
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29 |
Q: What
considerations should the University take into account for international
students participating in off-campus internships? |