International talent helps local businesses

Chris Butler, who owns CB Marketing, is one of the Nelson businesses already taking advantage of the intern scheme offered by Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT). Butler has been so impressed with the scheme that he has taken on four interns at various times in his company.

From early next year NMIT is offering more local businesses the chance to take on a choice of international students, mostly from India. The eight week internship is free to employers.

NMIT's Youth and Communities Manager Grant McNeill says the students are undertaking graduate diplomas in accounting, marketing and management and post graduate diplomas in business enterprise.

He highlights that the men and women are anything but green undergraduates. Most are aged around 30; many have had degrees for several years with lots of work experience, some with multi-national companies.

"Their English language is also very good. That's a pre-requisite".

McNeill remarks that one student has been working in India for Vodaphone in a senior sales role and has worked in business development and strategic planning. "These are people who can offer different skills and perhaps give employers insights into new ways of doing business".

There are a range of tasks that employers could hand over to their intern, from work on a management project to market research or planning better inward-outward flow of goods, as examples.

Butler says that local companies – small, medium and large – should welcome the chance to take on an intern for eight weeks.

"With my students, I've been able to give them a project to do straight away and they can generally handle it competently.

"Also it's a chance to get a different perspective from another country. You pick up ideas and many of them have had a lot of online experience. It's an extra pair of hands and they're usually highly skilled".

Butler adds that there is also satisfaction in assisting the international students, many of whom will want to stay in New Zealand.

NMIT International Marketing Manager Virat Vij highlights the growth of competition among Indian graduates for a New Zealand internship.

"They're leaving India for a better life and are highly motivated to do well here. Some of them will have worked for multi-national companies in India and some have run their own businesses".

Vij believes that for local companies it's a chance to gain from people with unique perspectives, not too mention the huge work ethic they bring to an internship.