An internship with the Australia China Business Council (ACBC) has provided two UNSW students with a unique insight into business opportunities between the two countries.

Sophia Xu and Eddy Long recently completed a six-week work placement as part of UNSW’s Professional Development Program for International Students.

“My internship at the ACBC allowed me to learn more about the economic cooperation between Australia and China,” says Sophia, who is completing a Commerce degree at the UNSW Business School.

“I was also able to improve my oral and written communication skills in both Chinese and English,” she says.

The ACBC helps develop bilateral relations and plays an influential role as an advisor to the Australian government on commercial relations with China, as well as leading trade delegations.

As part of their internship, Sophia and Eddy, both from China, worked on an event to encourage Council members to offer internships to international students.

“What I enjoyed the most was having first-hand experience planning and organising an event from the very beginning to the very end. It definitely improved my event and time-management skills,” says Sophia.

“This internship was my first working experience in a real business environment in Australia,” says Eddy, who is majoring in Accounting and Finance.

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Sophia Xu and Eddy Long at the Australia China Business Council

“Through this placement, I realised that in Australian workplaces it is important to show initiative and structure one’s own work plan,” he says.

The students said the ACBC’s extensive networks provided a great opportunity to build contacts.

“I met a wide range of people including the executives, board members, and businessmen from a variety of industries. Networking with them allowed me to know more about different industries and the opportunities that I might have in those industries,” says Sophia, who has been offered a job through contacts she made at the Council.

Taye Morris, Manager of UNSW Careers and Employment, says international students can sometimes face language and cultural barriers, which can make it difficult to transition from study to the workplace.

“UNSW’s Professional Development Program for International Students aims to overcome these barriers by providing opportunities to develop skills in a professional setting and gain practical workplace experience,” she says.

These workplace skills have proved to be invaluable, says Eddy, who was initially focused solely on achieving good exam results.

“However, I attended some information sessions with large organisations and realised that they are keen to recruit people who have previous workplace experience. That experience doesn’t necessarily have to be directly related to the job you are applying for, but rather just experience in a business environment.”

The Program also offers an extensive range of placements at UNSW in areas such as marketing, finance and information technology.

“One of the best parts of this program was the three days of intensive business training to develop interview and workplace skills prior to the internship,” says Eddy.

Applications for the 2016 Professional Development Program for International Students close on 13 January.