Griffith Asia Business Internship Program: looking back and ahead

In 2022, 28 of the 30 strong student cohort, completed a 6-week full time internship in an Asian destination, including Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia and Japan. Two students completed their internships remotely from Australia. The program encourages students from all disciplines, both undergraduate and post-graduate to experience working in their industry first-hand with the additional challenge of learning a new culture, working around language barriers, and navigating a new business environment.

Cherinee Van Der Korput, Tokyo Tower, Japan

One GABI student, Cherinee Van Der Korput, currently studying a Bachelor of International Tourism and Hospitality was one of the 17 students who travelled to Japan for their internship. Cherinee completed a Marketing internship with EF Education First Japan in Tokyo. Reflecting on her internship, and how it had diversified her skillset through real industry experience, Cherinee said:

“I was lucky to have developed transferable marketing skills whilst undergoing the internship; this included market research, content marketing, search engine marketing, video marketing, social media marketing, guerrilla marketing, and event marketing.

One of the key goals of GABI, as one of many forms of work integrated learning supported by the Business School, is to help students bank valuable, industry relevant experience, increase their employability skills, and prepare them to launch their careers prior to graduation.

Through Cherinee’s internship she had the opportunity to assist with the management of the organisation’s official social media account. On the role that these experiences and developed skills will play after graduation, Cherinee said:

“These are all critical skills needed in marketing firms and can be passed on to future workplaces. I feel more employable as a soon-to-be graduate. Notonly did I find growth within myself, but I had grown EF Japan’s Tik Tok views by 47.3%, YouTube short views increased by 5.3k, and the advent calendar campaign invited 1,639 impressions per day on average.”

Maiko Itami, Marketing Director for EF Education First Japan, said of Cherinee during her time with the organisation:

“Cherinee was able to utilise her knowledge and skills from her studies to produce quality work. Based on our positive experience with Cherinee, we found the Griffith Asia Business Internship program to be an enriching and highly valuable experience for our team. We would highly recommend other organisations to participate as hosts for future Griffith students.”

Upon return to Australia, the 2022 cohort of students participated in the Griffith Asia Business Internship photo competition to celebrate the conclusion of their internships and help promote the program for future students.

The competition, popular across all destinations, asked participants to submit photos from their time in-country alongside a caption; with the winner unveiled during the final workshop of the trimester. The competition offers a window into their time abroad, providing vibrant glimpses and insight across their diverse experiences and key takeaways from the program.

The GABI team were delighted to announce and share congratulations to our first-place winner, Malinda Donny. Malinda completed her 6-week Human Resource Management internship with Accendo, a talent intelligence platform company.

Malinda’s photo was taken at Petaling Street market Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. When explaining why she chose this photo as one of her entries, she explained:

Photo by Malinda Dony. Photo taken in Petaling Street Market – China Town, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

‘”This photo is my favourite photo I ever took in Malaysia because of what it stands for me. This is what comes to my mind when I think of Malaysia or any Asian countries. It tells the story of a country in the midst of western influence with the high rising structures and buildings, the economic changes and how globalised Malaysia is becoming. The lanterns, the street market vendors, the Malaysian flag, the wet weather, the bucket with pole to use as market umbrella stand, the western lamppost and the man in the rain shielding himself with a canvas cover. They all depict Malaysia and its influences but also captures the culture it holds! This is the Malaysia I think of when I talk about her.”

Applications for the 2023 program opened on Monday 13 March and close on Thursday 13 April 2023.

To learn more about the program or apply to be part of the cohort 2023 visit our website.