University

26 Jan 09

Participating companies can be of any size - Sean MacKenzie worked at a new social networking website in America and is pictured at its ‘worldwide headquarters’ with the staff, Morgan Murphy and Catherine Russell.

Applications are now open for places on the Oxford University International Internships Programme (OUIIP) 2009. Following a successful pilot last summer, the University has expanded the opportunities on offer and current students can apply for one of 26 roles in nine countries.

The organisations providing the internships range in size from a small Canadian fiction publishers and a Danish nature reserve, to the Academy of European Law in Germany and an offshore and marine engineering group based in Singapore.

‘One of the challenges of educating students in the 21st century is equipping them to work and live in a global context’, said Dr Heather Bell, Director of International Strategy at Oxford University.

As part of creating a more international experience for its students the University is expanding the OUIIP and creating other opportunities through links with the International Association of Research Universities (IARU).

The OUIIP offers mainly undergraduate students 8-10 week placements over the summer vacation, with companies operating in many different sectors and industries.

Last summer, Sean MacKenzie from St Catherine’s College worked at Motorpool.com, a new social networking website for classic car enthusiasts, based in Alabama in the United States. Sean said: ‘Working closely with [my mentor] has not only given me a unique insight into the dynamics of start-up business ventures; it has also shifted my outlook towards both my education and career plans.’

Johannes Feldmann from xperion, one of the companies who offered an internship last year, said the intern had made a real difference to his company: ‘My intern did a super job. She motivated me to go to China - something I had not contemplated before. Her research showed that a major tradeshow took place in China during the summer, so we went there.’

Some of the internships have been offered by alumni and Dr Bell is keen to encourage more companies, large and small, from the public and private sector, to offer internships.

She said: ‘Oxford is full of hugely talented young people, and we have students who can do just about anything, whether an organisation needs a scientist or someone with economic modelling expertise.’

The general deadline for applications for the OUIIP is 15 February 2009.