MAS interns visit British High Commission

British High Commissioner Dr Peter Hayes and the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) team welcomed 21 interns from the MAS Annual Summer Internship Programme to the British High Commission in Colombo recently.

Since the inception of this program, it has been customary for the interns to visit the British High Commission to understand the intricate workings of a diplomatic mission. It has also been very useful in gaining insight as to the opportunities that await returning graduates in Sri Lanka, from the perspective of the High Commissioner.

After sharing his experiences of working in the diplomatic service and as a High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Dr Hayes said, “I am very pleased to witness how this initiative helps young graduates enhance their professional and personal growth to become future leaders who have the power to steer Sri Lanka into a sustainable, successful future.”

Dr Hayes was followed by the UKTI Head Janet Ford, who gave a brief introduction on UKTI activities. She said “UKTI looks forward to continuing the strong business relationship that has been developed with successful businesses such as MAS Holdings.

This program provides us with a unique opportunity for us to give insight to future business leaders as to how a diplomatic mission promotes bilateral trade.”

The Summer Internship Program of MAS Holdings, Deutsche Bank and Dialog Telekom PLC commenced as a MAS Holdings initiative in 2004, with the objective of retaining the best of Sri Lankan talent.

Since then, it has developed into an outstanding internship programme, now in its seventh year, providing intensive training and exposure to career development for Sri Lankan youth graduating from both local and overseas universities.

The program entails a two-week familiarization period at MAS, Deutsche Bank and Dialog, followed by a two to three weeks long focused project at one of the three companies.

Upon completion, each intern will make a presentation of their learning, experiences and suggestions to a panel comprising the senior leadership of MAS, Deutsche and Dialog, as well as other eminent personalities in Sri Lanka.