One of the strengths of the Executive MBA at the Universitat de Barcelona Business School is the possibility of undertaking a work placement. Students agree that internships add value to their CVs. Ana María Rivera Ortega and María Paula Capelli are two of the students that decided to embark on an internship during the academic year 2016-2017 at the multinational automotive manufacturing company Vokswagen and Deutsche Telekom’s global IT services and consulting company T-Systems.

“The internship allowed me to consolidate knowledge gained from the degree, explore the work environment from another country, build a network of professional contacts and meet new friends”, Rivera said. As a team member of the unit that leads a number of projects at Volkswagen, Rivera was able to make a follow up of different company plans with different departments, plan the kick-offs in those cities were a new project is put in place and monitor the key performance indicators (KPI).

Rivera also thinks that the work placement helped her to improve her CV and make it more attractive to employers. “The internship will give me a little advantage when I go back to my country as I have had the opportunity to put into practice what I have learned in a new field –the automotive sector– and in a very good company with global recognition”. On the other hand, Capelli highlights that the work placement allowed her to access the job market in Spain. Moreover, it was the platform from where she found a new job position.

The Careers Services office manages all work placements of Executive MBA students. The office publishes all the positions available for students at the Faculty of Economics and Business, provides guidance and ensures a follow up throughout the process, from the signature of the contract to the assessment of the internship by the student. Moreover, the Careers Services office offers courses, seminars, workshops and other events aimed at promoting the career development of students and improve their employability.

In the framework of the Executive MBA, the Career Services have also put in place a programme specifically designed for them, in which they can engage in a dialogue with professional, go on company visits and attend workshops on how to write a CV, LinkedIn or job search strategies.