Saltire students take on the world
Strathclyde Business School will be taking part in valuable internship experiences both home and away this summer thanks to Entrepreneurial Scotland's Saltire Scholar Internship Programme. A total of 44 University of Strathclyde students have been awarded an internship, and 26 of those are Strathclyde Business School students.
In a year which marks the 10th anniversary year of the programme, and a record 165 students across Scotland are gearing up for the programme, which provides Scotland's most talented students with opportunities to work with 77 leading organisations in sectors including the music industry, banking, fashion, financial services, food and drink, life sciences, energy, manufacturing as well as not for profit organisations.
This year, the 26 SBS students are spending the summer in businesses across the USA, India, Switzerland, UAE, and in the UK, gaining valuable business experience from these once-in-a-lifetime internships in the process. Host companies include American Express, Barclays Wealth & Investment, Cisco Systems, Fender Musical Instruments, Jabil, Mattel, RBS and the Edrington Group.
The Strathclyde University careers service helps students in preparing for the application process which involves a written application, speed interviews and an interview with the host organisation.
Sara Nelson, Head of Saltire Scholar Internship programme, said, "The programme is not only life changing for the students that take part, it is hugely valued by our host company partners and Saltire Scholars are highly sought after by graduate employers.
"Firms who want to grow their business say their biggest challenge is finding talented people with the ambition, attitude and skills to get the job done. Saltire Scholars again and again show that they have these qualities."
Sandy Kennedy, Chief Executive of Entrepreneurial Scotland, said, "This is truly a landmark year for our Scholar internship programme. We set out a decade ago to find, fuel and spark students with potential to become the next generation of leaders for Scotland. Fast forward 10 years and we now have an alumni body of more than 1,000 Saltire Scholars from across Scotland who are giving back to their country and making an impact in organisations around the world.
"The breadth of opportunity available to the Scholars is unrivalled - from working with ambitious start-ups to global corporates - there is simply no other internship programme like it.
"I have to thank the fantastic team that works tirelessly all year round to deliver the programme, the GlobalScot network for their ongoing endorsement, Scottish Enterprise for supporting the programme in the early years, our trustees, donors, university partners and host companies and finally to our alumni - many of whom have gone on to do amazing things from right here in Scotland."
Saltire internships are open to undergraduate students from Scottish Universities in their penultimate year of study and are fully funded through supporters and donors of the Saltire Foundation charity. The Saltire Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Entrepreneurial Scotland.
Saltire Scholars are automatically enrolled as Emerging members of Entrepreneurial Scotland's providing world class networking, mentoring and events to support the development of an entrepreneurial mind-set.
