Career Day at Soochow University and launch of new international internship opportunities

On December 6 Soochow University held a Career Day organized in collaboration with Ca’ Foscari and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China. Members of Ca’ Foscari’s staff travelled to Suzhou to take part in the event and presented the new internship project entitled “Internships in the Venice of the East” [ITA].

This innovative project aims to offer master’s-level students to carry out an internship in two different ways on the basis of their educational path and professional interests:

  • An internship at partner businesses in Suzhou or Shanghai approved by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China. This option allows interns to learn about and participate in the Chinese workplace and improve their linguistic and transversal skills. What makes this option particularly appealing is that it involves bringing interns from both Ca’ Foscari and Soochow University together  so that they can cooperate for an exchange of best practices and learn new approaches and work methods. In this way, everyone benefits from an exposure to new cultures and ways of thinking and learning. The project provides interns with stipends for internships of 6 months, the first of which is dedicated to a free obligatory Chinese-language course and the remainder of which are occupied by the internship at the host business.
  • An internship at the prestigious Dunhuang Research Academy dedicated to learning about the Chinese art and archaeology as well as the development of knowledge and skills related to the management of cultural heritage and museums.

During the Career Day a number of local entrepreneurs shared their thoughts and knowledge, providing information about the different kinds of work contracts that exist in China, especially for expats, as well as other issues such as visas.

The event was a great success for Ca’ Foscari, for it afforded the opportunity both to enhance the university’s collaboration  with Soochow University, which hosts the Ca’ Foscari Suzhou Office, and to enhance its partnership with a local network of businesses in order to provide Ca’ Foscari students with ever more opportunities for professional development in an international context.