Navigating workplace realities: A sector-specific analysis of administrative internship challenges in South Africa
Elsie Skeni Mfete, Mpho Yvonne Lerotholi, Solly Matshonisa Seeletse & Oratilwe Penwell Mokoena
Abstract
Internships serve as an important bridge between academic learning and professional practice. However, their effectiveness varies across organizational settings. This exploratory study examines the sector specific challenges faced by administrative interns in South Africa, drawing on Human Capital Theory (HCT), Organizational Socialization Theory (OST), and the Job Demands-Resources model (JDR). Semi-structured interviews with seven interns revealed four dominant themes; bureaucratic and resource constraints, performance pressure and onboarding gaps, mentorship quality and learning curve, and cultural adaptation complexities. Public sector interns grapple with rigid hierarchies and slow decision making, while those in the private sector face high performance demands with limited support. Additionally, graduates interning in non-profit sectors, though exposed to diverse tasks, contend with resource scarcity and emotional fatigue. Across all sectors, inadequate mentorship, poor task-role alignment, and difficulty translating academic knowledge into practice emerged as critical barriers. The study advocates for structured, theory informed internship models that promote effective onboarding, inclusive cultures, and sustained mentorship. By addressing these systemic issues, higher education institutions and host organizations can enhance internship outcomes and better prepare graduates for workplace realities. This research contributes a multi-theoretical, sector specific perspective to the underexplored domain of administrative internships in South Africa.
Keywords
career development, onboarding failure, intern burnout, internship ineffectiveness
Author information & Contribution
Elsie Skeni Mfete. MSc. Research Administrator, Research and Innovation Directorate, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. Email: elsie.mfete@smu.ac.za
Mpho Yvonne Lerotholi. PhD. Senior Lecturer, Department of Human Resources, University of South Africa, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Email: lerotmy@unisa.ac.za
Solly Matshonisa Seeletse. PhD, DBA. Professor, Department of Statistical Sciences, School of Science and Technology, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. Email: solly.seeletse@smu.ac.za
Oratilwe Penwell Mokoena. Corresponding author. PhD. Lecturer, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, Tshwane University of Technology. Email: mokoenaop@tut.ac.za
"All authors equally contributed to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript."
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines set by Faculty of Management Science Research Ethics Committee. The conduct of this study has been approved and given relative clearance(s) by Tshwane University of Technology, Faculty of Management Science Research Ethics Committee (Ref: FCRE2018/FR/04/023-MS).
Data and Materials Availability
AI Declaration
AI tools were not used in writing this paper.
Notes
Acknowledgement
References
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Cite this article:
Mfete, E.S., Lerotholi, M.Y., Seeletse, S.M. & Mokoena, O.P. (2025). Navigating workplace realities: A sector-specific analysis of administrative internship challenges in South Africa. International Journal of Academe and Industry Research, 6(4), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijair.353281
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