"It has been a good experience to get the thrill of a new culture, work environment and to understand how similar issues are addressed differently in India and the UK."

A V Arun, IGWEP Intern

The world is currently experiencing a period of rapid change and economic integration and this process of globalisation is placing new pressures on all countries to be more fl exible, open, dynamic and entrepreneurial. The UK currently has a window of opportunity to develop productive links with the Indian economy in order to grasp the opportunities provided by globalisation. Indian graduates on this scheme on the other hand had the potential to bring fresh skills and knowledge to the UK, which can provide signifi cant benefi ts to their UK host companies in terms of positioning their businesses in relation to one of the world’s fastest growing major economies.

The graduates who were selected for internship comprised the brightest from India’s leading institutions of higher learning, such as Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Anna University, University of Mumbai, and University of Delhi. Apart from offering their UK recruiters an understanding of Indian culture, language and business practices, the internship provided the UK companies an opportunity to create a pipeline of talent, address skills shortages and gaps, and in many cases, promote their business interests in India.

The interns, in return, gained fi rst-hand experience in areas such as Supply Chain, Engineering, Retail, Administration, Project Management, Marketing, Sales, Law, Media, Architecture, Finance, Telecoms, HR, and IT, with some of the best organisations in the UK, enabling a greater understanding of business realities and opportunities in a developed nation, and accumulated a working knowledge that would benefi t India, the UK and, in general, the world itself.

One of the interns A V Arun who is currently working at Enterprise Managed Service writes about his experience so far, “I am working in Health and Safety Department and my responsibilities mainly include looking after the legal compliances, accident incident statistics and reporting, etc. My main aim to participate in this interesting initiative was to gain a global exposure in Health and Safety functions from one of the best countries in the fi eld and to kick start my ambition of becoming a chartered Health and Safety professional in Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (IOSH). It has been a good experience to get the thrill of a new culture, work environment and to understand how similar issues are addressed differently in India and the UK.

Graduates who participated in this programme fi rmly believe that they are the leaders of tomorrow and their participation has created a bond between the UK and India which will endure and be of mutual benefi t to both countries in the years ahead.