The Effect of Competency and Internship Experience on Students' Work Readiness in Halal Industry

Abstract

Background: Transitioning from higher education to the professional workforce requires graduates to possess more than just academic qualifications. Objective: This study aims to analyze the partial and simultaneous effects of competency and internship experience on the work readiness of final-semester students in the Management Study Program at the PGRI Dewantara Institute of Technology and Business, Jombang. Methods: A quantitative research design with a causal-associative approach was employed. The study population comprised final-semester Management students who had completed the mandatory Internship Course. Using purposive sampling, a sample of 73 respondents was selected. Data were collected through structured questionnaires utilizing a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using IBM SPSS. The analytical procedures included validity and reliability tests, classical assumption tests (normality, multicollinearity, heteroscedasticity, and autocorrelation), multiple linear regression analysis, partial t-tests, and the coefficient of determination (R²). Results: The findings demonstrate that competency significantly and positively affects work readiness (. Similarly, internship experience exerts a positive and significant influence on work readiness . The Adjusted (R²) of 0.886 indicates that 88.6% of the variance in student work readiness can be explained simultaneously by competency and internship experience, while the remaining 11.4% is governed by unexamined external factors. Conclusion: Both individual competency and practical internship experience are critical determinants of student work readiness. Implications: Higher education institutions must strategically align theoretical curricula with experiential learning frameworks to bolster graduate employability.