Programas de estágio como estratégia de criação de conhecimento às mpe’s: uma realidade ou um desafio?

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the possibility of creating knowledge in Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) by using internship programs, verifying whether such programs are actually focused on organizational training or as a mere strategy for reducing company costs. As a design for this present study, a qualitative semi-structured survey was applied to businessmen and interns in the town of Pouso Alegre, MG, in 2011, with special attention to the managerial internship programs through a perspective of knowledge creation. In spite of the existing possibility of constructing knowledge through internship programs, were highlighted as major impediment, the managers' non-awareness about the benefits that transcend the notion that offering training opportunities becomes attractive only because it represents a kind of "cheap labor", which contributes to the frailness of many of these programs. Furthermore, the expectations of this study is to contribute positively in order to expose internship programs as a vital strategy to MSEs, especially when properly managed together with students and educational institutions through learning the specific skills of each particular organization