Student experience of International Labour Organization (ILO) internship

Sabrina Tabassum

In August, 2015, I was offered the opportunity to work as an Intern in International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations (UN), Regional Office for Asia and The Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand. I worked under ENTERPRISE and ACT/EMP divisions of Decent Work team of ILO from 7 September, 2015 to 31 December, 2015.

Prior to this experience, my knowledge of the nonprofit sector was limited to volunteer experiences and classroom instruction. ILO offered me the opportunity to have a greater understanding of the complexities of the nonprofit world, and at the same time reinforced my desire to continue to work in this field. The chance to interact and network with people at this level, providing an insight into the workings of United Nations delegations and other development partners was an unparalleled opportunity. This internship program has offered me a great opportunity to grow and has propelled me to be able to overcome challenges and develop my career.

I learnt extensively about the relevance of SMEs in sustainable development processes in Asia; importance of participant-driven training program for the SMEs; impact of technological advancement on employment, skill and productivity and future of work scope and environment. The program has enhanced my critical thinking and analytical skills as well as improved my professional outlook and ability to work in a multicultural environment. By getting involved in international big projects, I learnt how to manage a project, prioritize tasks and communicate with others in professional environment. Working at ILO is one of the extremely fruitful, rewarding and amazing experiences in my life that I will certainly never forget.

In my position at ILO, I worked directly with Gary Rynhart (Senior Specialist, ACT/EMP), Miaw TiangTang (Senior Specialist, ACT/EMP), Jae-Hee Chang (ACT/EMP-Norway Partnership Regional project coordinator), and Wade Bromley (Regional program coordinator).