The Griffith Asia Business Internships Program or ‘GABI’, started in early November, with 40 students kickstarting careers and establishing professional networks in the Asia-Pacific region.
Convened by Dr Andrea Haefner, the program is supported by New Colombo Plan funding and is running for the second consecutive year via a remote model with students located both within Australia and abroad.
In this format, Bachelor and Master students from across the Griffith Business School and other schools have commenced a remote global internship with organisations based in Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, China and for the first time in the program’s history – Fiji! Internships are either full time or part-time with the majority operating remotely but with a few overseas students attending in person.
The GABI program highlights the importance of developing and maintaining key regional partnerships and enhancing Asian literacy in our students. Over the course of their placement, students will learn to work across cultures, time zones and overcome language barriers while building important soft skills to improve employability.
As in previous years, Japan and Hong Kong were once again the most popular destinations with applicants. As a new destination, the first two Fijian participants have been selected to work with the Reserve Bank of Fiji, a long-standing partner of the Griffith Asia Institute. The students will spend the coming weeks learning the customs and business etiquette of their selected destinations while conducting the internship.
Prominent host organisations participating in the program this year include: Trade and Investment Queensland, Rouse International, Australian Chamber of Commerce South Korea, Asia Pacific Leaders Network, Blueleaf Energy, Ovolo Hotels, Odyssey and Crossroads Foundation.
To best equip students before they commence their internship, GABI hosts the Asia Ready Program, a series of events and webinars to prepare students for the challenges and obstacles of undertaking an international internship. The program then flows into country specific cultural sessions to take place alongside the internship itself.
The sessions are a great opportunity for students to ask questions and prepare themselves for the challenge of the internship. Reagan Tilney, a Bachelor of Government and International Relations student said,
“it was incredibly helpful to do the Asia Ready program and listen to different speakers about attitudes and expectations required to be successful with internships.”
The sessions include a combination of industry events, language lessons, cooking classes, history classes and virtual tours all selected to provide students with a business and cultural emersion reflective of their destination.
To find out more about the GABI Program, application requirements or our partners please visit: www.griffith.edu.au/asia-institute/global-wil-internships.