This study investigates the influence of business internship experiences on the work readiness of economics students in Vietnam, addressing a critical gap in the country’s higher education-employment linkage. Grounded in the Knowledge-Skills-Abilities (KSA) framework and Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the study examines how professional skills and work motivation serve as dual mediators in the relationship between internship participation and students’ readiness for the labor market. A structured survey was conducted with 389 final-year economics students from four major universities in Ho Chi Minh City. Structural equation modeling using SmartPLS 4.0 was applied to test the proposed model. The findings demonstrate that internships have both direct and indirect effects on work readiness. Specifically, internships significantly enhance professional skills, which in turn foster greater intrinsic motivation, leading to improved work readiness. Among the mediators, professional skills emerged as the stronger factor, while work motivation acted as an amplifier of the internship’s effect. The study provides empirical evidence that supports integrating practical experience into academic programs, particularly in emerging economies where theoretical training often dominates. Practical recommendations are offered for universities to develop structured and skill-oriented internship programs, for businesses to play a proactive role in student development, and for policymakers to align internship policies with national workforce strategies. This research not only contributes to the literature on graduate employability but also delivers actionable insights for stakeholders aiming to close the gap between academic training and labor market demands in Vietnam and similar contexts. © (c) 2026 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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