Azerbaijani Students Gain Real-World Business Experience
Each year, the USAID-supported School Economic Education (SEE) program’s most successful students intern with Junior Achievement (JA) partner companies. From July to September 2007, thirteen SEE students—winners of the Student Companies, Global Business Ethics, and National Management and Economics competition—worked with career advisors at Statoil Azerbaijan, McDermott Caspian Contractors, Exxon Azerbaijan, AIG, and KCA Deutag to gain a first-hand look at what opportunities are available in the business world. The internships range from one-week job-shadow opportunities to two-month extensive internships.
Javid Veliyev, a student from School #95 in Baku who joined the School Economic Education Program in 2006, applied for the internship program after winning third place at the annual Student Companies Competition in 2007. His interest in the oil sector brought him to Exxon Azerbaijan Limited. “There are many opportunities for students after graduating from school and sometimes it’s challenging to choose the area where your knowledge and skills can be applied,” says Javid.
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Since 2005, USAID’s School Economic Education program has provided 23 students with professional experience at local and international businesses
Photo Credit: Junior Achievement |
During the internship, Javid assisted the administrative department and learned about the company’s operations in Azerbaijan, corporate ethics standards, accounting, documentation, reporting, human resources and public relations procedures. At the end of each day Javid maintained the company’s database by entering office administrative reports. “Javid was interested in how businesses connect with potential partners and clients and was enthusiastic to learn what skills were needed for running a business,” says Aygun Tanriverdiyeva, Javid’s mentor at Exxon Mobil.
“The oil sector in Azerbaijan is booming and more business opportunities related to this field will open up as the industry continues to grow,” explains Javid. “I am lucky to have this chance to intern at Exxon Azerbaijan, as this experience will be invaluable for me.”
Since 2005, USAID’s SEE program has provided 23 students with professional experience at local and international businesses. The initiative assists the students in determining their career objectives and helps prepare them to take the step from student of economics to business professional.
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