AISEC swaps management trainees across borders

NEW DELHI, December 20: Marij, an engineering student at the University of Holland, registered at the International Association of Studen...

NEW DELHI, December 20: Marij, an engineering student at the University of Holland, registered at the International Association of Students in Economics and Management AIESEC for management traineeship 8220;in a country with diverse cultural background and work culture8221;. AIESEC put her on to Jindal Strips Ltd, who took her on for three months two weeks ago.

Marij is enjoying working in India and Jindal Strips CEO N C Mathur told Express Newsline: 8220;We want young people with fresh ideas to work on new concepts. By participating in the exchange programme, we have an option of testing the capabilities of AIESEC interns in terms of their potential to work permanently for our organisation. Even when they go back, they become our contact person in that country. In fact, Marij will be one of our links in Holland.8221;

Her colleagues are working in other well-known firms like ABN Amro Bank, Deustche Bank, Godrej, Indian Oil Corporation, Shaw Wallace, Tata Tea, California Software, Price Waterhouse, Sanderson Ind, Winsome Yarns and Dagna Ribak which participate in AIESEC exchange programmes. AIESEC facilitates the trainee8217;s visa formalities, arranges the accommodation, introduces him to the company executive, liases with the company to conduct a final evaluation of the traineeship and prepares the trainee to go back home.

A second option to campus recruitment is how a lot of the members describe this programme. For one, the forms of the applicants and matched with the companies requirements. So, what the company wants the company gets.

Secondly it is a global programme. Since 1949, 1.5 lakh students from 87 countries have travelled across the globe under their ITEP programme. AIESEC does the match-making8217; with the help Insight, an online global information system, and its headquarters in Rotterdam. Moreover, it not just a one-way process.

For every foreigner who comes to India, an Indian leaves the shores of this country. Aarti Nagaraj, a member of AIESEC Delhi says: 8220;Every year, around a hundred Indian students go abroad through AIESEC. This allows India to develop a pool of internationally experienced managers who have a knowledge and understanding of foreign cultures and business practices.8221;

The trainees in India also learn a lot working under alien conditions. Andrej Kramberger, a native of the Republic of Slovenia, has joined the advertising department of a leading daily in the city. 8220;I meet all kinds of people throughout the day when I go to get advertisements for my paper,8221; he says. 8220;It8217;s an enriching experience.8221;

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However, a week into her stay in India, Marij now feels a little 8220;locked up8221; after work, but says this has been compensated by the other interesting things she has picked up. 8220;This is the first time that I have had to ask male colleagues to escort me around at night, but I have also learnt to steer my way through chaotic traffic, quarrel with autorickshaw drivers and digest spicy food.8221;

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