Industry Perceptions of Journalism Interns’ Media Skills Preparedness in Selected Media Organisations in Nakuru City

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore media industry perceptions of journalism interns’ skill preparedness during internship in selected media organisations in Nakuru City, identify existing skill gaps, and evaluate the role of internships in bridging those gaps. It was guided by Competency Based Theory, and employed a phenomenological design with stratified, systematic, and purposive sampling used to select a sample size of eighteen respondents from target media organisations. Data were collected via interview schedules with the study employing the use of semi-structured interview questions to allow the respondents the freedom to respond extensively, but within the limits of the objective, and were analysed thematically. Findings revealed that journalism interns possessed foundational competencies in news writing, interviewing, basic multimedia production and social media use; however, their preparedness was moderate rather than industry –ready. Significant gaps emerged in advanced multimedia production, data journalism, analytical skills and digital tool application. While interns demonstrated strong theoretical knowledge, they often struggle with practical application in real newsroom environments due to limited exposure, rapid technological changes, and insufficient industry-academia collaboration. Internships play a transformative role by enhancing practical skills, professional discipline, newsroom adaptability and ethical responsibility, though they cannot fully compensate for academic training deficiencies. The article concludes that improving journalism interns’ preparedness requires enhanced practical training, regular curriculum updates aligned with industry needs, stronger industry-academia partnerships, and structured internship programmes. These findings contribute to ongoing discussions on aligning journalism education with labour market demands in Kenya.