The internships are intended for people who have been granted asylum in Austria, especially refugees who have begun or partly or fully completed an education in the fields of economics, the social sciences, or other suitable academic disciplines which qualify them to work on projects at academic units or possibly also service units at WU. WU has established these internship positions with the support of the Berndorf Private Foundation.

Supporting social integration

In cooperation with partners and sponsors, WU has been working to help refugees for several years now. “WU is a public university with a responsibility to contribute to society. In this role, it is very important to us to show our solidarity. Eight refugees already completed an internship at WU this past spring, and the feedback was very positive. We are pleased to be able to make this offer again in 2017,” says WU Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger. Michael Lang, Vice-Rector for Human Resources, adds, “An internship at WU is intended to give these people the opportunity to build on their previous education, giving them better chances on the Austrian job market. We want to facilitate their rapid integration into Austrian society and give people the best possible perspectives for the future.”

WU’s commitment to help refugees

In addition to the <link en students masters-student-guide honors-programs-and-volunteering volunteeringwu lernen-macht-schule>Lernen macht Schule program launched in 2010, WU also offers workshops as part of the POWER2Help initiative. These workshops are aimed at people involved in the frontline assistance and integration of asylum seekers and provide valuable skills and resources for helpers. WU offers German courses for refugees, as well. These courses started in the fall and are for displaced persons enrolled in <link en the-university about-wu initiative-for-refugees>MORE Initiative courses at WU, and are intended to help them prepare for enrollment in a regular WU program. 

WU is also involved in the <link file:418802>MORE Perspectives program and organizes a number of events each semester. The first internship positions for refugees were filled this past spring. The eight interns worked in different Institutes and on different projects and were supported by individual mentors.

For more on thecurrent call for applications for the internships for refugees, please <link fileadmin wu h structure servicecenters hr mitteilungsblatt november_2016 praktikanten11_2016.pdf>visit our website.