Partner companies are invited to take part in specific projects; once they join, they specify their requirements with regard to the student's activities in the course of his or her internship. Subsequently, the university selects the most suitable applicants from among students. Typically, students of the last year of the bachelor's or master's levels are approached. Each student's expertise is taken into consideration. Other criteria may include the grade point average, activity during seminars, motivation, etc. Prior to the commencement of an internship programme a supervisor is appointed for each party: representing the university, it is usually the student's counsellor who supervises the thesis; representing the company is an employee with the relevant expertise. Once the supervisors have been appointed, it is necessary to set the student's goals for the duration of his or her internship. In addition, the length of his or her internship must also be specified (typically, one month or one week). Following the completion of his or her internship, the student shall draw up a final report in which he or she describes the experience and the level of the goals achieved. This document must be endorsed by both internship supervisors. Compared with the aforementioned option, this activity is much easier in terms of organisation, thanks to the fact that students are treated as individuals. Another advantage is that more students (possibly all students of a certain study programme) can participate, and so can the faculty. The downside is that the demand is inconsistent with the number of internship positions offered by the faculty. Examples include individual internship programmes within the ECOP project offered at two fields of study (Table 1.):
- field of study Civil Engineering Management
- field of study Water Management and Water Structures