Do you remember that famous 80’s Fosters ad, where the ‘Professor’ steps out of the flash car, surrounded by women and one barman goes to the other ‘okay so he’s got the looks, the car, the brains but would you want to have a drink with him?’ and he strides up to the bar and orders a pint of beer, Fosters naturally.  The imagery saying that this is the complete alpha-male, the man that has everything.  I couldn’t help reminiscing about this popular TV ad when a report came out this week about the need for young school leavers to have practical experience not just academic qualifications.

Educational foundation Edge have found that ‘76% of adults believe that too much emphasis is placed on academic learning.’  Whilst ‘over two-thirds of employers admitted to saying that school and college leavers lack the necessary practical skills valued by industry.’  This got me thinking back to that advertisement, how lots of young people today become perpetual students.  The number of people getting higher qualifications is at an all time high but do they have the practical work experience so valued by employers?

Jesus Garza Garcia is a 26 year-old Mexican MBA graduate who felt he needed more practical experience before entering the job market.  He found an Internship through Aspect with Brandenburg Securities, a Financial and Business Advisory firm.  During his time there Jesus conducted a research project on the performance of the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), evaluating the price performance of stocks based upon monthly pricing statistics.  He also developed a share price assessment model and formed part of the Brandenburg Securities team.  This experience coupled with the improvement of his spoken English will prove invaluable for Jesus in the future.

Taking an internship is one of many ways to improve your prospects and become the ‘complete package’ just like the 80’s Fosters professor.  For more information about Aspect Internships Contact Us