A contribuição do estágio não obrigatório para a empregabilidade no Curso de Secretariado Executivo: a percepção de gestores da Universidade Federal do Ceará

Abstract

In view of the growing demands of the labor market, employability has become an essential skill for students, with internships standing out as one of the main strategies for professional insertion. This research aimed to evaluate the contribution of non-mandatory internships to the employability of students in the Executive Secretariat program at UFC, from the perspective of institutional managers. The study is justified by the relevance of internships as tools for learning and professional development. The adopted methodology combined a quantitative approach, through statistical analysis of institutional data, and a qualitative approach, through interviews with managers and documentary analysis of regulations and reports. This is a bibliographic, documentary, and field research. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were examined using content analysis techniques. The results indicated that internship policies in Brazil have evolved from a merely instrumental conception to an understanding of internships as educational acts, with significant advances since Law No. 11.788/08, although regulatory gaps still persist, especially regarding non-mandatory internships. From the managers’ perspective, it was found that this type of internship contributes to employability by providing experiences that foster the development of technical and socio-emotional skills, as well as strengthening students' professional identity. However, some limitations were identified, such as the early entry of students into internships and the lack of clearer institutional guidelines for their implementation. The document analysis showed advances in the institutionalization of internships at UFC, such as the digitization of processes, but also revealed obstacles, such as the predominance of public host institutions and the low post-internship hiring rate. As practical recommendations, managers suggested institutional strategies such as curriculum flexibilization, the organization of internship and employment fairs, the creation of competency development programs, the modernization of internal procedures, and the implementation of alumni tracking mechanisms. These proposals were systematized into a technical product to be presented to UFC's Senior Management. It is concluded, therefore, that non-mandatory internships, despite their specificities, represent a relevant formative action, enabling the articulation between academic knowledge and practical demands of the labor market, with a positive impact on students’ employability.