The GoAbroad Team pleased to bring you the 2013 GoAbroad Innovation Awards Finalists!  Today we celebrate and recognize the Innovative New Program Internship Abroad Finalists.

We received many wonderful nominations and the selection committee has chosen five finalists, listed here in alphabetical order. Throughout the month of May 2013, GoAbroad will highlight the finalists in each of the GoAbroad Innovation Award categories! Winners for each category will be announced during the GoAbroad Reception during the Annual NAFSA Conference & Expo.

Congratulations to the 2013 Innovative New Program Internship Abroad Finalists!

BridgeAbroad

Internship and Business Studies in Brazil

As the business world grows ever more international, a global outlook has become less a luxury than a critical tool for professional success. And BridgeAbroad’s Internship and Business Studies program has made it easier (and more fun!) than ever before.

Based in São Paulo, Brazil’s meteoric commercial capital, BridgeAbroad’s ten-week program combines graduate business studies at the renowned Business School São Paulo with a substantive internship in your field of interest. If you’re a current MBA student, there’s no better way to broaden your horizons as you immerse yourself in the fast-paced business culture of the Southern Hemisphere’s most important city.

CRCC Asia

CRCC Asia’s Internship + Travel Program

Over the past several months, CRCC Asia and The Dragon Trip have collaborated to create a unique program that combines the best that China has to offer. Through this joint Internship + Travel Program, participants are able to develop themselves professionally as well as explore all of the amazing sights and sounds to be found in the Middle Kingdom!

For the first part of the program, participants will engage in either a 1 or 2 month long internship with a top tier firm in the industry of their choice in Beijing or Shanghai. This is a fantastic way for students and recent graduates to take advantage of China’s booming economy,  build their resume, explore their interests within the professional world, and gain insight into the global workplace. This experience is valuable for participants who wish to one day engage in international business and those who simply want to boost their job prospects upon return to their home country.

After the internship component, participants will be given the opportunity to change out of their suits and ties in favor of their traveling clothes, as the next 20 days will be spent on a guided, backpacking tour throughout China! The program is designed to showcase the most breathtaking, unique and off-the-beaten-track sights in all of China. Participants will marvel at the Terra Cotta Warriors of Xi’an, play with the pandas of Chengdu, camp overnight at the Great Wall, and jump from the world’s highest bungee jump in Macau!

Though only initiated in mid-2012, this collaborative program has already proven immensely popular.  CRCC Asia’s new Internship + Travel program delivers the best of both worlds, with participants working to prepare themselves for their future, as well as discover the most amazing cultural, geographical and historical places in China!

Global Experiences 

Global Connections Networking Events

Global Experiences has become a leader in innovative Experiential Education programs offering international internship programs and career development in 10 cities around the world. Our goal is to focus on individualized education outcomes through personalized career development, strengths based customized internship placements and on the ground program management that differentiates us from others in this industry.

Global Connections networking events are one of Global Experiences newest innovations and have been added to the Global Experiences social program on location. Starting in London in 2012 these events create a professional community for interns, alumni and employer hosts that emphasize the importance of networking as a career development tool. Each event is a gathering of individuals from a variety of career fields, including guest speakers with practical advice on how to be effective at developing and maintain professional relationships, and employers willing to help students further develop their skills.  Interns are offered a warm, welcoming environment to practice speaking confidently about themselves to others, alumni share advice on how to maximize the internship experience and look to connect with potential employers, and employer hosts engage in cross-industry networking while learning more about the strengths and core values of Global Experiences participants.

Alumni of previous Global Experiences programs from around the world, some who are now employers themselves also attend the events and give advice to the current generation of interns. Including Alumni also allows us to offer continued value to our former participants as they build their network often while living in new cities themselves. Global Connections events shift the focus from the actual internship, to learning how to leverage the international work experience in a professional setting to ensure Global Experiences participants maximize the outcome from their international program.

GlobaLinks Learning Abroad

Global Personal Brand Discovery Toolbox

The GlobaLinks Learning Abroad internship program is now much more than just a placement - it is a global career-building experience. In 2012, GlobaLinks Learning Abroad re-invented the internship program, expanded to more countries, and added components that give participants the complete package they need to be successful not only during, but also after the program. The most remarkable addition is the Global Personal Brand Discovery Toolbox. This key component adds significant value to the program as it provides participants with training and tools to utilize their international internship experience  in their future career path.

The development of a personal brand is very important as a well-defined personal brand allows an individual to clearly differentiate themselves from the thousands of other graduates. The GlobaLinks Learning Abroad Personal Brand Toolbox helps participants discover and create their brand message for others, including potential employers. From the beginning of the program through to a participant’s return, each student is given numerous resources and tools in order to learn how to intertwine aspects of the international internship experience into a strong personal brand. The goal is to not only provide high-quality work experience and international discovery, but a solid framework that a student can use long into the future. The toolbox includes:

1. Workbook on Personal Branding – An easy step-by-step book that you can use for tangibles on building your brand

2. Business/Networking Cards – Specially designed business/networking cards to take with you on the program to encourage networking

3. Social Media Development – Resources or online workshop which focuses on LinkedIn account information and utilization

4. Personal Brand Assessment – A pre-departure assessment on current brand strength

5. Resume and Cover Letter Resources

HECUA

New Zealand Culture and the Environment: A Shared Future

The Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) and colleagues in New Zealand have developed an interdisciplinary program devoted to the interconnections of society and the environment in New Zealand. The program will be first offered in the fall semester 2012 (September - December), having received approval from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The program will examine how social and environmental factors are shaping political and ecological dimensions of identity and culture, and how New Zealanders from many different backgrounds are envisioning and creating a shared future in Aotearoa New Zealand, the "Land of the Long White Cloud."

In the early part of the semester, discussions of history and culture with European, indigenous Māori, and Pacifica leaders will establish the complex bases of New Zealand’s identity and nationhood: its bicultural foundation and diverse multicultural population, the rich ecological setting, national commitments to peace and sustainability, and the challenges posed by globalization. Students will then learn about New Zealand's ecological history, the challenges of its "clean and green" national brand, and the sustainability frameworks that have been developed both by European and Māori New Zealanders.

**This post is brought to you by this month's GoAbroad Blog Sponsor, StudentUniverse . Save more the next time you travel by booking with StudentUniverse!

{ 0 comments }