The Iraq IT Intern Exchange Program will introduce Iraqi young professionals to some of the finest U.S. IT companies and allow participants to return to Iraq equipped to help contribute to the development of the Iraqi IT industry. AED, in coordination with the US Embassy in Baghdad, will focus on giving participants skills to perform IT-related tasks, and knowledge of how to build a company using tools that are readily available via the Internet. Participants will spend 12 weeks with an IT company based in the San Francisco Bay area, working on projects to gain hands on experience in the IT business sector and exposure to American business practices. Participants will stay together at a local university, where housing and meals will be provided. Each week, professional development activities will be arranged, including lectures, activities, and site visits that build upon the program goals of leadership and entrepreneurship.
For this summer session, AED will be recruiting for two different intern positions: Technical Interns, for participants with strong computer science and software engineering backgrounds, interested in working on the technical side of computer programming, and IT Management Interns, for participants with interests more broadly focused on social media and technology initiatives, who would like to learn more about the IT industry while exploring other aspects of business and entrepreneurship, such as marketing, design, and business management. Both groups of interns will live and work together in San Francisco.
Application
Thank you to all who applied for the summer 2010 program! The application deadline has passed.
In partnership with the US Embassy in Baghdad, AED will facilitate program recruitment and candidate selection. AED will also assist the selected individuals in their visa and internship applications.
For other U.S. technology initiatives in the Muslim world, please see: White House Announces Global Technology
and Innovation Fund
Contact
Jill L'Heureux
Project Director
Center for Academic Partnerships
Academy for Educational Development
1825 Connecticut Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20009
iraqtech@aed.org