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By Christine
Imbs
Disney was right. It is a small world, especially with the emerging
global economy. And both businesses and business students are realizing
that to compete, it takes more than just a business degree. It also
takes knowledge of foreign cultures and the ability to communicate
with them. Through Webster University’s International Business Internship
Exchange (IBIE), both businesses and students are gaining that competitive
edge.
“Webster University is by far the most international university,”
says Wilma Prifti, IBIE director. “We have many international programs
that we offer to our students, but we consider this program one
of the most unique opportunities available. There are very few universities
offering internships with a home stay. It’s a total emersion experience.”
Students participating in the program spend two months over the
summer living with a host family and working in one of six countries—Germany,
Mexico, Japan, England, Ghana, and China. This combination gives
them an experience that makes potential employers take notice.
“What this does for a student is far and above any other kind of
experience they can have,” Prifti comments. “And when companies
see this on their resumes, it tells them here is a student who is
willing to take risks, able to be independent, is self-sufficient,
and takes the initiative.”
Webster, in partnership with the State of Missouri, began IBIE in
1980 providing internships for American and German students. In
1999, a grant from the Department of Economic Development enabled
them to expand the program to other countries. Each year, they send
25 American students abroad for internships and in return accept
25 foreign students to work with companies here. Over 700 American
and international students have participated in the program thus
far.
Prifti says the success of IBIE is due to the quality of the students
participating in the program as well as the continuing support of
companies willing to provide students with a mutually beneficial
learning and working environment. Currently, there are about 70
different companies involved in IBIE including Ameren UE, Anheuser-Busch
Companies, BJC HealthCare Systems, The Boeing Company, CitiMortgage,
Commerce Bank, Edward Jones, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Maritz, SBC
Inc., and Lincoln Industrial.
“The response to the program has just been phenomenal,” she comments.
“Companies realize that in order to compete in today’s global society,
they need employees who can bridge the different cultures. And that’s
exactly what these students are doing.”
St. Louis-based Lincoln Industrial, a manufacturer of automated
lubrication systems, has been participating in IBIE for the past
10 years. Albert Adams, Lincoln’s vice president of human resources,
says a program like IBIE is vital for preparing young people to
become future business leaders.
Rogner
sent to Shanghai by Lincoln Industrial stands in the
middle of his co-workers. |
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“Americans are too limited in their language skills and this puts
them at a disadvantage in the world market. That’s why a program
like this is an essential part of the business landscape,” he comments.
“The business leaders of the future are going to be those people
who have a great sense of multi-national cultures as well multi-language
skills. Otherwise, they won’t be in the game.”
Because the program’s success depends on attracting and maintaining
companies who are willing to offer these internships, students must
undergo a thorough screening process. Recommendations from business
and language professors, and an employer if the student has held
a job in recent years, must be submitted along with official transcripts
and a completed essay-based resume form. The latter is an indication
of how well they can express themselves.
“We are very thorough in our selection process,” Prifti comments.
“And when chosen, we make certain the students understand this is
not a vacation.”
Prifti says that during orientation, the students are told not to
ask for days off. “The focus of this program is the internship and
the experience of living with a host family. It’s something they’ll
never get with any other program. We tell them, ‘If you want to
travel, do it on weekends, or after the internship is over.’
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(Left
to right): Intern Thorsten Rogner proudly displays
the Missouri flag with a Shanghai co-worker.
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As a rule students do not have to attend Webster University to participate
in the IBIE program, nor are Webster students necessarily chosen
above others. Last year out of 26 students sent abroad, 11 were
from other universities. However this year, budget cuts limited
the program to Webster students only. “Things are getting better
though,” says Prifti. “We expect to open it up to others again next
year.”
All of the internships are non-paid. To be eligible students must
have at least a 3.0 grade point average and have a number of business
classes under their belts. Also they must have a minimum of two
years in a foreign language. The exception to this is a Japanese
internship which requires three years.
“We did have our first student go to Shanghai last year—Thorsten
Rogner. We waived the language requirement for that because Chinese
is a language that hasn’t been offered much in the St. Louis area,”
Prifti says. “Thorsten is an outstanding international business
student and speaks fluent German.”
Rogner was sent to Shanghai by Lincoln Industrial, which also has
operations in Germany. While in Shanghai, he did marketing research
and some advertising for a local Chinese magazine. He also did some
translation from German to English and English to German.
“It was an amazing experience. I’ve never seen a more vibrant city,”
he comments. “Of course it was hard work. But I had fun with my
co-workers and learned a lot from them. After my eight weeks were
up, I was able to talk the company into letting me work an extra
two weeks because I wanted to stay in China a little longer.”
Rogner also says this experience has benefited his resume more than
anything else he’s ever done. “It’s that ‘wow’ factor. When companies
see this, they’re impressed. My internship in Shanghai was one of
the key aspects of my resume that helped me survive the vetting
process to get this internship at Brown Smith Wallace LLC.”
Adams called Lincoln’s experience with Rogner a “smashing success.”
“It was the first time we sent an American student to our Shanghai
operations,” he says. “He was very uniquely qualified in that he
not only knew German, but had some understanding of Mandarin as
well.”
Adams also adds that it’s critical for American companies to learn
to deal in an international manner. “Luckily, most international
traders speak English. But as time goes on, English speaking people
will have to learn another language or be at a tremendous disadvantage
down the line. And that’s why a program like IBIE is so important.
It’s preparing students to compete on a worldwide basis. And in
the end, that will help American companies survive.” |
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