How do companies use technology to enhance a student's internship experience

Paving the way into the modern era

Over the past 20 years, we have notice multiple occasions of changes in our daily lives, which are all fueled by changes in technology - from Windows XP expanding our imagination of what could be done through computers and how it too could be done, to this era which not using social media implies you are either out-of-date or trying to disconnect from the world in some ways.

In the 21st century, companies are looking forward to digitalizing their work system so as to be agile and efficient in response to customers’ demands. Hence, we visualise that ‘technology/digital platform literacy’ for employee is crucial in the survival of today’s business. According to a PwC research, a majority of college graduates frequently receive further education and trainings to develop their digital skills, whereas only 17% voice otherwise.

Indeed, we can say that the understanding of technology usage must be realised and comprehended by students, in regard to the changes in the industry as well as the how it would benefit them. So, where else can a student experience this phenomenon better than during their internship duration in a workplace? According to Zehr and Korte(2020), intern students would learn a company’s culture and routines (in varying degrees); let alone, social interaction with their respective mentors/managers and fellow interns, throughout the entire duration of the internship. This implies that students would come to realisation on how technologies are used in the context of a certain company to perform certain tasks; let alone, be used to evaluate their performance throughout their internship.

Integrating Technology

Companies integrate technology in a wide variety of ways. Why? That is because integrating technology guarantees efficiency. It is true, technology does make everything so much easier. Here are some examples:

• The Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) - named by Harvard Business Review as one of the most innovation companies - demonstrates the integration of digital technologies and innovation at the core of its operation to assist in the ways which businesses are conducted.
• AI and FinTech have used their tech to; innovate training programs for start-ups and entrepreneurs,  novel products / services (with the help of lean start-up methodology), which employees can collaborate among one another with the support of their managers throughout the process. This isn’t without its idea-jerking and innovation-encouraging corporate values.

It can be visualized that such culture and mindset would likely be internalized by the interns to realize the expectation of their roles and contributions throughout the internship duration. Moreover, they learn to visualize firsthand the importance of technology deployed in the operations and how it comes into play to facilitate the financial products and services in response to customers’ demands.

Such observation and tangible experience with the use of technological innovation would grant them the mindset to realize the power of such technology in the carrying out the tasks; let alone, shaping their visualization of the banking and finance industry. This plays an additional role to provide the complete picture of the industry apart from what they may perceive out of the books, as well as enhancing required employability skills for the industry before they enter the workforce later - a lot of benefits indeed!

Technology and our lifestyle

At present, students are able to search for internship program more extensively to includes ones which may be outside of their homelands with aspirations for better learning opportunities. This is due to the possibility of well-developed telecommunication platforms and Internet, enabling companies to conduct online interviews with talents across the globe who fulfill preliminary requirements in order to select the right talent which can make a difference for the companies.

This can be best explained with no other than the services provided by AIP, as we help students to look for suitable internships based on their preference of internship positions, the industry of interest, future career goals, and preferred destinations, which are obtained through online interviews via Google Hangouts in order to aid our students in their efforts of internship program search.

Consequently, having found the match in one of our partner companies with our students, we would then schedule interviews between our partner companies and our students in order that the companies can learn more about the students’ profiles and well as the students’ intentions in his/her future career choices whilst our students can learn more about the offers from the companies and the internship positions of interest - making the student’s search efforts much easier!

AIP's part in this

AIP has partnered companies in 13 countries across 21 industries for all students - from creative heads (Like videography) to serious number crunchers (Like finance). If you still don’t know about things you want or like to do just yet, you can contact us for a consultation to know more about the industries too! In addition, technology can enhance an intern’s experience through program funding, as knowingly the issue of funding can pose an effect on the internship and on the students.

Hence, we also have included the platforms and websites where students can look for:

1. Program fundings and scholarship allowance from Europe and North America to aid our students who are in need of financial assistance.
2. Crowdfunding platforms (Go Get Funding and GoFundMe) to raise money for various life events from the general public; let alone, accessible scholarship search engines as alternative platforms. This is to ensure that our students’ internship experience and learning do not stop simply because of the lack of funding.
   

Apply for an internship with AIP!

With all the mentioned platforms, students can assure they realize where to obtain necessary amount to complete their internship, along with enhancing further their experience to present themselves in the ‘right pitch’ in order to obtain their goals which can be useful for their future career prospects and can add a depth of ‘flavors’ to their overall experience.

With such benefits in the use of technology by corporations, students’ internship experience and visualization for the industry can be enhanced to realize what they can potentially expect from the industrial point-of-view. Indeed, applying with AIP, they would have full access to all the support required prior, during, and after the internship - more likely a friend to walk you through this journey with you, by your side. So, what is there to wait anymore? Apply for your internship with AIP and get your dream internship to work with leading companies now!

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