Coveted internships offer UOWD students insight into working life at leading lights in the corporate world

Tuesday, 14 July, 2015

Students from the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) have landed a plethora of sought-after internships with big name firms, offering them the opportunity to spend time gaining valuable on-the-job experience from some of the globe’s most well respected brands. Amongst the firms which have favoured UOWD students for their coveted internships are German multinational conglomerate Siemens; the world’s premier biopharmaceutical company Pfizer; telecoms giant BT; French digital security company Oberthur Technologies and European multinational energy management specialist Schneider Electric. Lorain Manoj, a Bachelor of Computer Science student, describes her six-month appointment in Siemen’s Communications and Government Affairs department as “an amazing opportunity.” “Working in such a dynamic, global organisation has been eye-opening,” she states. “I’m collaborating on a daily basis with people from all over the Middle East and Europe. The work I’ve been tasked with has been really interesting too – from helping to roll-out a new website to handling print media and the design process, it’s been fantastic at affirming my decision to pursue a career in Interactive Design and User Experience once I graduate from UOWD.” For Master of Engineering Management (MEM) student John K John Jr., his experience in the classroom has been invaluable in preparing him to succeed in his trainee program at real estate developers and renewable energy firm Urban Green LLC. “Part of my role is to help oversee work on site, making sure things are done on time and to a high quality. My degree has helped me to prepare for this as I’ve been able to combine the theoretical lessons for the classroom with practical experience,” he explains. “My dream job is to become a project manager at one of Dubai’s leading companies – the training program at Urban Green has given me valuable UAE experience which will help me to pursue this career.” Master of Applied Finance (MAF) student Marina Zhirnova hopes that her internship in the Procurement Department of Schneider Electric will help her to decide on her next steps after graduation. “Working in a busy procurement department and liaising with colleagues in Hungry, Turkey, Spain and Singapore has been a fantastic experience. I think my internship will help me to discover what I want to do in the future,” she says. “UOWD’s Career Development Centre has also been of great assistance in helping me to decide on my career path. They have supported me in developing my interview technique, helped me with my CV and gave me a lot of encouragement when I was applying for the position and going through the selection process.” Cornelio Gomes, UOWD’s Career Development Centre Coordinator said, “We are thrilled to see that so many of our students have been selected for internship opportunities this year. Our experience has taught us that such opportunities are invaluable to helping them to fast-track their career growth and professional development. For the past 22 years, UOWD has been focused on growing collaboration with the corporate world, which helps us as a University to understand and meet the demands of businesses in the UAE and beyond.”