AFRICAN BUSINESS INNOVATORS INTERNSHIP

Gain first-hand knowledge of the business environment in Sub-Saharan Africa. Network with international business professionals. Acquire and practice the skills of cross-cultural competency and communication and improve your global mindset. Recognize some of the contemporary macro business issues of globalization. Students can experience all of this and more by participating in this exciting opportunity.

Each student accepted to this program will be assigned to work as a virtual intern at a company owned by a UI Mandela Washington Fellow. Upon being selected, students will be matched by IIB to the Fellow’s company based on overlapping interests in particular industrial sectors or business focus areas and will have the following responsibilities:

• Provide Fellows and their affiliated companies/institutions with ongoing support in areas such as conducting and interpreting results of customer discovery, defining business models, developing a marketing plan, creating professional networks and social media profiles and plans, conducting market research, building financial models, designing HR procedures, etc.
• Work as remote consultants to the chosen company on a particular project under the mentorship of the instructor.

Steps for Student Intern Application
1. Complete the appropriate Internship Enrollment Request form (links below)

Summer 2024 registration:

Undergraduates

UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT REQUEST

Graduate Students

GRADUATE ENROLLMENT REQUEST

Requests for enrollment will be accepted until Friday, May 3, 2024. Enrollment requests received after that date will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the course instructor. Internships begin June 10 and end August 9.

2. Response to your request

You will receive a response from the IIB by May 3. The course instructor will match you with a company based on your application, and you will be informed of your host company by May 24.

• If your request is approved, you will be given registration instructions for MyUI. You must enroll prior to the registration deadline for that academic term. For undergraduate students, this internship has its own section of BUS:3100(0EXV), so students need to register specifically for this experience.

• If a decision cannot be reached based on the form responses or your responses raise concerns, you may be asked to provide additional details.

• If your request is denied, you will receive an explanation and have the opportunity to make a new request if details of the internship change.

Note: Undergraduate students may also complete this experience by registering for ENTR:4900:0IND, which is a 3 credit-hour option, and tuition rates apply.

MANDELA WASHINGTON FELLOWSHIP ALUMNI

Are you a Mandela Washington Fellowship alumni interested in hosting an African Business Innovators virtual internship? Please fill out this brief questionnaire regarding how a University of Iowa student intern can help your business, and you will be contacted by an IIB staff member for further information.

BECOME AN AFRICAN INNOVATOR HOST

The past decade has brought with it an incredible global interconnectedness and boundless opportunities for businesses that seek to expand their markets across international borders. To harness the opportunities being presented by entering global markets, Iowa companies must engage in a series of analysis to understand their mechanisms for strategic leverage.

The Iowa International Business Internship is an opportunity for University of Iowa students to gain experience in areas such as: international marketing outreach, global operations, international communications, international supply chain and international market analysis and research, and more.

Interns will interview directly with Iowa companies and be selected based on a matching of their interests with the specific needs of the company. Internship will be 8-10 weeks, ~20 hours per week, and will be compensated at $14.50/hour unless otherwise noted in the position description. These internships are eligible for Tippie RISE - follow the steps to register for BUS:3100:0EXW.

Iowa International Business Internship positions are listed below, the list is updated frequently so check back for more opportunities as they arrive. Please follow the links for more information about each available position and how to apply for your summer internship today.

Applications for 2024 are now closed. Please check back soon for Summer 2025 opportunities. Feel free to reach out to IIB Program Coordinator Jayne Meacham with any questions at jayne-meacham@uiowa.edu.

This list of companies offering internships will be updated frequently. Please check back often.