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The widespread benefits of intern-ships are well established – they bridge the gap between the academic learning process and everyday working reality by providing practi-cal experience and a sample of work in a chosen employment sector. They also allow increased networking opportunities, instil confidence in the workplace, and quickly enhance specialist skills through real time interaction with real world col-leagues and clients.

Putting theory to practiceAn increasing number of employers prefer to appoint candidates who

have complimented their academic achievements with such practical experience. And internships offer the perfect opportunity to ‘get your foot in the door,’ with prestigious or desirable companies.

In an interview with BQ Maga-zine, Nada Asadollah Al-Emadi, section head of Career Develop-ment at Qatar University, states that internships help students to not only practice their skills in the real work environment, but to develop other useful skills, such as time manage-ment, leadership, organizational communication, teamwork and interpersonal communication. She states: “We do believe that all this experience develops our students and helps them to acquire the profes-sional knowledge that is necessary to enable them to compete suc-cessfully in the world of work after graduation.”

Missy Hernandez, senior director of Academic and Career Advising at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, identifies similar impor-tance of internships. She says intern-ships provide students with the opportunity to graduate with a "real world" working experience under their belt, which is necessary because many students have never worked before, and only have limited train-ing or ‘soft’ professional skills. She goes on to add: “Internships also give students the opportunity to

network with professionals in the field which can be very beneficial when students graduate and begin job hunting.”

“Internships also give students the opportunity to network with professionals in the field which can be very beneficial when students graduate and begin job hunting”

According to Marie C. Newkirk, career services manager at North-western University in Qatar, an internship opportunity for a young undergraduate is often a transfor-mative experience. She says: “It allows students to adapt the skills they have acquired in the classroom to a workplace environment while simultaneously exposing them to a broad array of new experiences that are not readily available in a class-room setting. As students have the opportunity to put theory to prac-tice, they quickly gain confidence in their abilities. Also, by networking with colleagues, students are able to build their CVs and also acquire references.”

QATAR

GETTING YOUR FOOT IN THE DOORInternships play an increasingly important role in the quest to find a job in today's marketBy Khadiza Begum

Nada Asadollah Al-Emadi, section head of Career Development at Qatar University

May 2016

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Mandatory internship?To provide students with this real world experience, many universi-ties have now made internships mandatory. Al-Emadi says: “We do offer internship opportunities for all enrolled students at Qatar Univer-sity. Qatar University has two types of internship. One of them is manda-tory for some college majors, as part of their programme requirements for graduation. The other is optional for students who are seeking addi-tional practical training and this goes under the remit of the Career Ser-vices Centre.” She further notes that, for example, the College of Business and Economics mandates students to register for an Internship in Busi-ness course (MAGT 307), which is a graduation requirement. Registered students must undertake practical training for at least 120 working hours over a four week period in dif-ferent public or private institutions.

Newkirk says Northwestern Uni-versity in Qatar offers a wide variety of unique internship opportunities to the students: “The University rec-ognizes the value of hands-on work experience for its students and pro-vides students with opportunities to intern at prominent and prestigious institutions in Qatar, the GCC, Europe and the United States.”

Hernandez also says that stu-dents at VCUQatar are required to complete an internship experience as part of their degree requirements: “Our students complete their intern-ships off-site at various organiza-tions, both in Qatar and around the world.” She also believes it is useful when students complete their intern-ships prior to their senior year, so that they can utilize what they have discovered about their strengths and weaknesses and develop them prior to graduating.

The Career Services Centre Universities are increasingly paying attention to preparing their students to face an ever changing work environment. Many universi-ties have a Career Services Centre (CSC) or division. The aim of this division is to connect students, faculty, and alumni with job and

internship opportunities through strategic engagement with internal and external partners. Addition-ally, they provide counselling for career success by assisting students in determining their career goals, selecting the appropriate major for their career needs, developing career related skills, acquiring a useful and relative internship, and developing a successful job-search plan to develop the competent professionals of the future.

Al-Emadi states: “The Career Ser-vices Centre offers Student Employ-ment Programme, which provides university students from all dis-ciplines with the opportunity to work and gain practical experience through working in the different university sections , departments and colleges to empower them with the needed practical skills and enrich them with the experience.” She goes on to add that the centre facilitates a more effective communication process between labour market employers and university students by connecting career opportunities to students, and vice versa.

Hernandez adds that VCUQa-tar has recently launched a Career Services department on the campus: “The aim of this department is to provide students with more oppor-tunities to be exposed to a work environment. Students participate in service learning opportunities and also often participate in field trips which expose them to their future

respective industries.”

Corporate partnersCorporate partners within compa-nies, organizations, and non-profits provide wide and varied opportu-nities to host students in an intern-ship. Al-Emadi reveals that Qatar University and colleges sign many annual agreements with different employers from different labour market sectors in order to connect different career opportunities to their students: »We have long lasting cooperative agreements with several government and nongovernmen-tal organizations and agencies, for example, QAPCO, Exxon Mobil, Maersk, Total, Anti-Doping Lab, Shell, Ras Gas, QP , Qatar Gas, Envi-ronmental Studies Center (ESC), The Supreme Council for Health, Qatar Environment and the Research Insti-tute/Qatar Foundation.”

Internship periods are too short, and some interns think the most appropriate internship period should be six months

She goes on to add that Qatar University is currently working unofficially with the Ministry of For-eign Affairs and Ministry of Interior to accommodate their internship student needs: “With increased enrollment of students at the College of Business and Economics (CBE) at QU, we now have 562 students undertaking internship practice in 135 institutions. I confess that it was challenging to fit all these students in, but we managed to do so. How-ever, we need to reach out to more organizations and institutions, both locally and regionally.”

Newkirk also believes the devel-opment of excellent, long lasting relationships with private industry, policymakers and other professional organizations is extremely impor-tant to future student success in the wider workplace. She notes: “One

Missy Hernandez, senior director of Academic and Career Advising at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar

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Dr. Aisha Al-Mannai, director of the Center

of the main reasons we spend time cultivating these relationships is that they very often create real opportu-nities for student internships, and consequently for jobs after gradu-ation. We witness such results not only with our official institutional partners such as Al Jazeera and Doha Film Institute, but also with the many other contacts at leading insti-tutions that our faculty attract from throughout the region and the wider world, in particular Europe and the United States.”

Hernandez says most internship placements at VCUQatar emerge via departments on campus (for example, Graphic Design and Fash-ion Design). She further notes: “In the future, hopefully my department will play a more active role in devel-oping relationships with companies that could result in more formal internship agreements.”

Paid or unpaidAn intern is usually expected to do similar work to that of an employee, but in most cases, internships are unpaid. Some employers can donate a small amount of recompense as a thank you, but, ultimately, this is a decision that is made by the employer. Abdulla Al Kuwari, a stu-dent at Qatar University says: “I was an intern at Qapco. I had to work four hours a day, unpaid. How-ever, I did gain a lot of experience,

especially as I discovered that work life is very different from studying at the university.”

Sometimes, internship periods are too short, and some interns think the most appropriate internship period should be six months.

An internship could address lack of experience, but what about other opportunities in the job market? Al Kuwari remarks: “Many students are looking for opportunities to har-ness their skills, however, getting an internship depends on your situa-tion. Some students find it is easier to get an opportunity, but others find it challenging. Internships can be great, but can also disappoint, usu-ally due to lack of openings in the job market.”

“Internships can be great, but can also disappoint, usually due to lack of openings in the job market”

According to Al-Emadi, for the time being there are enough internship opportunities in the local market, but in the future, with the ever growing number of students, problems may arise. “To solve this, more cooperative efforts with the local market are essential, and can be overcome by signing memoran-dums of understanding with more companies.”

Perhaps the most important over-all effect of internship programmes worldwide is that they afford gradu-ates a unique opportunity to access internal hiring queues within organi-zations and companies. This endows them or potential workers with one vitally powerful advantage. Instead of hiring externally, companies in the 21st century tend to hire from within their own ranks, because the process takes less time, has a positive effect on company ‘togetherness’, is less of a risk, and far more economi-cal. It seems that, on balance, good internships can help to shape the future of education.

Marie C. Newkirk, career services manager at Northwestern University in Qatar

Qatar - The Muhammad bin Hamad Al Thani Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization (CMCC) at the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Stud-ies, a college of Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), participated in the London Book Fair for the first time this year, where the center displayed its English publications under its series “Great Books of Islamic Civilization.”

Established with the aim of providing non-Arabic speakers with access to schol-arly works which underscore the contribu-tions Muslims have made to human civiliza-tion, the CMCC has translated a number of major works by Muslim scholars, spanning the period from the 1st to the 9th century A.H. The “Great Books of Islamic Civiliza-tion” series covers a wide range of subjects such as law, theology, jurisprudence, histo-ry and politics, literature, medicine, astron-omy, optics and geography. These books are authoritative sources in their fields, with each published by the English publishing house, Garnet.

CMCC participated in a similar book fair in October 2014 in Frankfurt, Germany, at which Dr. Aisha Al-Mannai, director of the Center, spoke about ‘The Contribution of Qatar in the Dialogue of Civilizations’. CMCC’s series of translated texts has generated a number of positive reviews from the inter-national community, inspiring the Center to consider developing additional translations of its books into French, Spanish, German, and Chinese. The books translated by the CMCC have been successful in correcting a number of misconceptions about Islam and Muslim civilizations.

HBKU PARTICIPATED IN LONDON BOOK FAIR

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