Many students plan to enter industry or graduate school , regardless of their choice, research experience will help them achieve their goals. Landing a position is competitive, but everyone who is persistent and volunteers at some level gets in the door. Once in a project, everyone starts out small and eventually acquires responsibility for his or her own piece of the research project. Students are not expected to know how to conduct research, but I don't do a lot of hand-holding either. Some of my freshmen and sophomores conduct senior-level independent research, because they have proven, through hard work, that they are capable.
Students get the opportunity to practice science and engineering at an early stage in their career.
They understand concepts that are later presented to them in class, because they have already seen the real-world application. I have undergraduates using equipment and analysis methods that they won't learn in class until they are seniors or first-year graduate students. Graduate students devote a good 40 hours a week to their research and have a better perspective of the big picture. We make sure our undergraduates come to our group meetings and make presentations each week. This gives them feedback from the group, presentation skills, and teaches them what everyone else is doing.