Six Westminster students have completed their internships with the United Nations Migration Agency, known as the International Organization for Migration (IOM), thanks to an institutional agreement between the University and IOM.
As part of the agreement, Westminster students can apply for exclusive internship opportunities at IOM offices around the world. Westminster’s IOM interns receive funding in support of their internships from the University donor funds dedicated to outward mobility opportunities, the Turing Scheme, and the Employability Innovation Awards.
Westminster students Martin Nkasala and Benedetta Romaneli were among the first cohort of Westminster IOM interns successfully accepted into internship positions, and they both undertook theirs at the IOM office in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Martin is a recent graduate of the International Relations and Democratic Politics MA and undertook a six-month-long internship as a Migration Governance Intern. Under the supervision of the Head of Migration Governance Unit, his role included assisting with drafting project briefs, assisting with the coordination and organisation of meetings, and drafting meeting minutes, reports, thematic papers and presentations. He also had the opportunity to participate in significant capacity building initiatives such as the Colombo Process Thematic Area Working Group and the High-level Policy Dialogue on Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change hosted in Bangladesh, aimed at addressing the vulnerabilities of migrant workers in South and South-East Asia and formulation of action pathways in human mobility in the context of climate change. These allowed Martin to gain vital experience including exposure to management and international cooperation activities, and experience working with governmental, non-governmental and United Nations institutions.
Speaking about his experience at the IOM in Dhaka, Martin said: “Apart from the professionally enriching experience, being in Bangladesh has also taught me core values of integrity, and respect for diversity. During the duration of this internship, I overcame challenging assignments with great feedback from my supervisor, developed new friendships with my colleagues, and dealt with the anxieties of being in a different community from the one that I was brought up in. It has been a valuable experience and has given me good exposure both professionally and socially. I would recommend Westminster students take the opportunity of doing this internship for their professional and personal growth.”
Another Westminster student who secured an internship at the IOM office in Dhaka is Benedetta Romaneli, who graduated from the International Relations and Development BA Honours course while completing her internship. During her “once-in-a-lifetime experience” in the IOM’s Mission Support Unit, Benedetta was involved in every step of their project implementation process allowing her to understand negotiating dynamics with non-state and state actors. She was also able to take part in drafting their resource mobilisation strategy for the next five years, which allowed her to study different donor profiles and have a better understanding of funding trends and the mission’s goals, objectives and targets.
Not only did Benedetta enhance her professional development whilst in Bangladesh, but she was also able to explore different areas of the country where she took in breath-taking landscapes and the country’s ancient traditions and history.
Reflecting on her experience at the IOM, Benedetta said: “Would I do it again? Yes, it was a blast, and I would do it again and again. For this reason, I suggest to everyone to undertake an experience where you leave your comfort zone, go abroad, and overcome your biggest fears.”
For more information about IOM internships through the University of Westminster, contact Dr Sahar Taghdisi Rad, Course Leader for the International Relations and Development BA Honours course.
