The Department of Business Administration (DBA) has been cooperating with the China Trust (CT) in setting up an internship program. The department has recommended its top students to be the interns at the Trust, hoping such a scheme will benefit both parties in the long run. Consequently, Huang Yu-jin, Chen Chang-zhi and their classmates of the junior year, nine of them in total, joined at one of China Trust branches in Taipei last week and are presently being given a week’s basic training. After this training, they will be assigned to different jobs behind the counter performing various administrative works as part of their internship. Those who can complete their internship with outstanding performance will have the chance of staying on at CT after their graduation.

As graduation is drawing nearer, many students are worried about finding a suitable job. Therefore, the Chair of the DBA, Wang Chu-ching, points out that such an internship program gives the department the opportunity to recommend top students to experience real business world which eventually will increase their chances of landing a good job. Although it was CT that contacted the Department initially, he hopes to establish further cooperation with other businesses and industries in the future so that more students can participate in combining work and study before graduation—an experience that will make them more competitive as potential employees. For example, the nine students recommended to CT, which signed them on as their interns formally, will study and work there simultaneously in the coming year. Once they graduate from TKU, those who have demonstrated the best ability during the internship will be recruited through internal channels to become CT’s full time employees.

Huang Yu-shan, one of the nine juniors, joined the internship exactly for this prospect of job security. “As long as I work hard there, I shall not worry too much about not being able to find a job after graduation”, she says. Her classmate, Lee Chung-ying, who is also on the program agrees with her and adds that more and more students at their place are thinking deeply about their future in advance, particularly about the pros and cons of continuing onto graduate studies or work immediately after graduation. As for him, he does not mind working first to gather sufficient experience, and then will plan his next step. All in all, he sees this internship at CT a unique opportunity that everyone should make the best of it.