Tuesday, 19 August, 2014

Students from the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) are spending their summer gaining valuable on-the-job experience having secured coveted internship positions with some of the leading names in the corporate world.Four business majors have joined financial services giant MasterCard for an intensive work placement program, while another four students are working alongside the experts at multinational engineering and electronics conglomerate, Siemens.Among the other big names that have favoured UOWD students for their sought-after internship opportunities are premium automobile manufacturer, Volvo; the world's largest oilfield services company, Schlumberger; and one of the largest global toy manufacturers, Simba.Sarah Alidrissi, a Bachelor of Business Administration student entering her final year of studies describes her recent appointment in MasterCard’s Middle East and Africa communications division as her ‘dream job’.“At MasterCard, intern is just a title”, she affirms. “From the outset we are active and full contributors to our team, working on meaningful, live projects that can make a difference. My studies at UOWD have given me the knowledge and exposure to understand the environment and to take on those challenges.”Sarah was singled-out by MasterCard at this year’s careers fair and is among the second wave of UOWD students to have been selected for the company’s lucrative internship scheme. Last year’s candidates went on to be offered permanent positions within the organisation.Master of International Business (MIB) student Mohammad Sameer Siddiqui is another successful candidate in this summer’s internship program. Having completed a year-long placement with the University’s marketing department, he was selected to take up a marketing and communications role with Volvo.Sameer said, “I have always been passionate about the automotive industry and hoped to work in the business one day. I heard about this internship opportunity from the University Career Development Centre and took a lot of support and advice from them when I was applying for the position and going through the selection process.“My University experience has been invaluable in preparing me to secure this exciting role. I’ve been able to combine the theoretical lessons from the classroom with my practical experience as a marketing assistant with UOWD to develop myself professionally.“It’s been quite challenging, juggling assignments with office work, but I have learnt so many valuable skills – time management, marketing techniques, interpersonal skills, and working in a multinational team – which will be vital to my role with Volvo.”Fellow MIB student Farhat Rahmatulla has long-term ambitions to work across the MENA region in a multinational corporation, and has made the best start by securing an internship with global conglomerate, Siemens.Farhat said, “My main focus was to get into a meaningful organisation, which did require patience and persistence, but with the guidance of the careers staff I’ve been successful in securing a great opportunity with a fantastic company.”Citing his management studies as an instrumental part of his success, Farhat concluded, “The knowledge I gained during the cross-cultural management and people management courses has been particularly valuable to my career aspirations.”Cornelio Gomes, UOWD’s Career Development Centre Coordinator said, “We are delighted to see so many of our students being awarded these much sought-after internship opportunities, which will put them on a fast-track to professional growth and development.“It is a strong testament to their academic endeavour, backed up by the University’s ongoing collaboration and consultation with the corporate world, which helps us to understand and meet the needs of growing businesses in the UAE.”