The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) is organising an internship programme for students in the Master of International Relations at the Institute of Diplomacy of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Held from 22 May to 3 June 2023 at MBRSG premises, the internship is practice-oriented and provided the students with the opportunity to compare and analyse different branches of public policy and use the data they study in writing their master’s thesis.

Professor Raed Awamleh, Dean of MBRSG, said: “The Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government is always open to welcoming students in public policy and diplomacy, as well as government officials from around the world, to join our advanced educational and training programmes. This is at the heart of our mandate as the government entity tasked with training and empowering the leaders of tomorrow.”

“This internship programme welcomes students in the Master of International Relations at the Institute of Diplomacy of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, offering them an ideal opportunity to explore the UAE’s outstanding example in governance, public policy, and government administration,” he added. “We look forward to sharing our knowledge and insight with our visiting master’s students, and to building stronger relations with educational institutions in Kazakhstan and worldwide.”

The internship is designed to help students develop practical, research, and professional competencies, including analysing, structuring, and using data to conduct high-quality research. Participants also learn effective activity management – i.e., the ability to plan, organise, and control analytical activities to ensure effectiveness and quality – and decision-making based on qualitative research and data analysis. They will also learn to conduct expert and/or research meetings on the topic of each student’s Master’s thesis; adjust the structure of the Master’s thesis based on the analysis conducted and the results obtained; acquire skills for working in an international environment with different cultures and languages; and expand professional connections and network of contacts.

Participants in the internship programme are expected to complete a set of tasks, namely, to study the UAE’s example in public administration and its experience in political development, including issues of growing and integrating the country’s economy into the world economy, public policy and governance, and challenges in policy, civil service, and digitalisation. Tasks also include collecting materials for master’s projects and attending seminars and workshops relevant to their field of study.

The agenda for the programme includes a seminar on studying the experience of the UAE in the field of public administration by Dr. Yousif Al Ghalayini, Associate Professor at MBRSG; an expert lecture on issues of crisis management and negotiations of public administration by Prof. Melodena Stephens, Professor of Innovation at MBRSG; an introduction to the UAE’s public administration system with Dr. Swetal Sindhvad, Non-Resident Fellow & Adjunct Faculty at MBRSG; a lecture on issues of open government and digitalisation of public administration in the UAE by Dr. Fadi Salem, Director of Policy Research at MBRSG; and a session on international business policy and public-private partnerships by Dr. Immanuel Azaad Moonesar, President of AIBMENA & Associate Professor at MBRSG.

The programme also includes a set of field visits, namely, to the Dubai Economy and Tourism with Dr. Mona Mostafa El-Sholkamy, Associate Professor at MBRSG; to International Humanitarian City with Dr. Immanuel Azaad Moonesar; and to the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library with Dr. Arthur King, Academic Affairs Manager at MBRSG, Dr. Immanuel Azaad Moonesar and Ms. Hayathem Shukri, Student Affairs Manager at MBRSG.

At the end of the internship, students are expected to submit a report with an appendix covering all completed tasks. The report must be uploaded to the ICademium system within the set deadline, and include the following items, among others: general information about the internship, such as terms, goals, and objectives; the nature of the completed work with comments, ideas, and suggestions for each meeting; all completed tasks; the certificate; and main conclusions and suggestions, including takeaways that can be included in the master’s thesis.