Organisation Profile
Issue No. 62 - December/January 2011
AISEC draws global talent to SA
In 2007 in-business wrote about the world’s largest youth-run organisation, AIESEC.
Today, AIESEC continues to help South Australian businesses connect to global growth markets and top national and international graduate talent during a turbulent period of economic uncertainty.
AIESEC (pronounced eye-sek) is an acronym of French origin (Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales). During the past 60 years, AIESEC’s global reach has expanded from Europe to a membership base of more than 60,000 students and recent graduates from more than 110 countries.
A global internship program sent 16,000 students and graduates on international internship placements in 2010-11, which equates to one person flying out to an AIESEC internship opportunity every hour.
From AIESEC International, to a university-based “local chapter” level, AIESEC members are responsible for running the organisation. Managing budgets from tens, to hundreds of thousands of dollars (millions in some instances); establishing and maintaining business partnerships with corporate giants such as GE, DHL and Electrolux; not to mention marketing and human resource management, AIESEC members have had valuable experiences before winning their first graduate job.
Ken Wood, an internationally experienced, Adelaidebased business consultant, and current owner of The Institute of Essential Skills, has worked extensively with AIESEC in South Australia.
“I conducted some pro bono mentoring sessions for AIESEC members attending Flinders University,” Ken says.
“We should be excited with the talent that is emerging. I walked away from those sessions inspired and reinvigorated. It is time to stop the stereotyping and recognise we have an obligation to engage and nurture our future assets. They are a credit to SA.”
In Australia, AIESEC’s global internship program enables highly talented international interns to ...
