Wellbeing Foundation at Middlesex University aiming to improve employability prospects for studentsMarketing student Marina Fuentes Corridan is just one of the many Middlesex students to have benefited greatly from completing a student internship during her studies, organised by the Wellbeing Foundation.
When the Corporate Engagement team was looking for assistance, the third year student jumped at the chance to help David Williams and his colleagues run four events with Middle Eastern business leaders in Dubai to discuss the importance of collaboration between university and business.
"I could not list the colossal amount of things I absorbed, picked up on and observed" - Marina Fuentes Corridan, third year marketing student
After an intensive recruitment process managed by MA Human Resources students and overseen by academic supporters of the initiative, Marina was employed as an events assistant to help with the administration and hosting of the events.
Marina describes the interview process - during which she was put through her paces by having to complete a number of group activities testing her teamwork capabilities and critical thinking, in addition to a more traditional panel interview - as "thorough and challenging". The ideal preparation for future recruitment processes.
And Marina says that the hard work was totally worth it once she got to Dubai: "It was an exciting and dynamic working environment. I could not list the colossal amount of things I absorbed, picked up on and observed during the three full-packed days in Dubai.''
Commenting on Marina's efforts, David Williams, Director of Corporate Engagement, described her as a credit to the University: "It was great to have her on the team. In particular it was useful to be able to draw on her student perspective. I was personally impressed by her insight and how much she knew about the University's vision, mission and values. After working with Marina and partnering with the Wellbeing Foundation I would recommend student internships to colleagues."
Marina, who blogged about her experience, was equally grateful to the Corporate Engagement team for the opportunity she was given to work in an international business environment with a professional team.
"When I look back at the experience, I can only express words of gratitude," she says. "I feel honoured and fortunate to have taken part in such exciting and vibrant events. The experience I have gained from it will always be with me and for that I will never be able to thank the team I worked with enough."
Developed by the Business School and Sports and Recreation, the Wellbeing Foundation's aim is to give students the opportunity to put their theoretical knowledge into practice by finding short and long-term work experience opportunities.
"The Wellbeing Foundation is just one of the many initiatives the University is engaged in to increase student employability," comments Luther Mayers, Graduate Academic Assistant in the Business School.
"It's great that we can offer such high calibre 'in-house' work-opportunities to our students. This real-life work experience is valuable on a CV and ensures our graduates stand out in the recruitment process and are work ready when they enter employment. We would love to be able to offer more of our students' opportunities of this kind."
