Our vision was to design a model for international and interdisciplinary virtual/blended internships, that was just as significant and meaningful as traditional internships. The Global Innovation Teams model allows students to complete technology internships and technology-driven projects by working together virtually on real world challenges, guided by industry mentors and academic mentors with a special focus on the development of transversal skills. This partnership believes it is crucial to equip education institutes to face the challenges presented by the post-pandemic scenario, including safeguarding the inclusive nature of learning opportunities. This entails mainstreaming innovative curricula items and upskill academic staff in their delivery and at the same time transfer the acquired knowledge to other Higher Education Institutes.
We applied for this project in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic, aiming at creating an alternative to standard internships that was meaningful and could emulate the characteristics of a traditional on-site experience. Now, in a new post-pandemic scenario, remote and flexible work has become the norm and graduates are required to possess a whole new set of skills to succeed in their future career. Transversal skills including teamwork, innovation, time management, autonomy and communication skills are not only crucial, but also often expected by employees at junior entry level. This shift towards a more flexible way of working has particularly impacted the IT sector as teams in tech companies are frequently international, with different teams and individuals operating from different parts of the world and posing several communication and cultural challenges. Global Innovation Teams designed and implemented a model for flexible internships that foster the acquisition of these crucial transversal skills, while proposing reflections and tools for the implementation of the model in other Higher Education Institutes, and a staff training dedicated to academic staff and industry practitioners in supporting participating students.