8/14/2019 Creating a Global Talent Pool (Wisconsin State Journal)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/creating-a-global-talent-pool-wisconsin-state-journal 1/1

madison.com

Gilles Bousquet

• Moe: Cremation allows for some creativity

• Baggot: Say it -- 'We own college rowing'

• Milfred: Don't let the gripers win

• Alesia: Mallards line up some minor-leaguecelebrities

TUE., JUN 10, 2008

High Today: 79

FULL FORECAST

COLUMNS

del.icio.us   Digg   Reddit   Yahoo!   Google   Facebook   Email   Print

THU., NOV 8, 2007 - 3:42 PM

Bousquet: Creating a global talentpoolBy Gilles Bousquet

The increasing interdependence of the world 's economyis practically a fixture in the news these days, and for good reason. Whether it 's the need for globalcompetence (claimed in this week 's New York Times), or 

the increase of outsourcing and immigration (described inlast week 's Isthmus), U.S. education, employment andindustry will never be the same.

By partnering with corporations both in and out of 

Wisconsin, UW-Madison has created an innovativeprogram that gives students the global competence theyneed to tackle these new challenges and to successfullynavigate in an increasingly international workplace.

At the same time, it gives Wisconsin businesses a global

edge, providing employers with a well-educated, globallyminded workforce that will continue to attract people --and business -- to Wisconsin.

In just two years, UW-Madison 's Division of InternationalStudies ' International Academic Internship program hasplaced 24 UW-Madison students in workplaces fromTokyo to Qing Dao to Dar-es-Salaam.

Thanks to an alliance between several campus units,prominent local and global companies and UW alumni, 12

businesses and organizations overseas have openedtheir workplaces to our student interns in 11 cities.

Students from Prairie du Chien, Fond du Lac, Eau Claire, Oshkosh, Oak Creek and many other Wisconsin towns havetaken advantage of this unique opportunity, gaining the confidence and worldview they need to be competitive in today 'sworkforce.

One student, a marketing major from Racine, spent last summer in Singapore, where she interned for JohnsonDiversey,run by one of the sons of the SC Johnson family company, both of which are based in her hometown. Now she says shehopes to work for that same company upon graduation.

But the International Academic Internship isn 't just for business majors. After all, this is a generation of students whoexpect their professional futures -- no matter where they work or live -- to transcend national boundaries.

That 's why another intern, a Chinese major, didn 't go abroad at all. Instead, having lived in Asia previously, he spent hissummer in the International Division of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce.

There, this Madison native helped to create cultural briefs on China and Japan for use by Wisconsin employers in traderelations and delegations.

Because education is the currency of the global knowledge economy, the boundaries of the campus now must include not

 just the state, but the world at large. This is the work of a great global public research university.

By providing Wisconsin 's employees with a competitive degree of global competence and giving Wisconsin 's businessesinsight into international business cultures, UW-Madison helps keep Wisconsin 's economy strong.

The world is changing. UW-Madison is preparing its students -- and its state -- for what 's ahead.

DEMOCRACY STARTS HERE.

Look here for theWisconsin State JournalReader's Choice poll, eachweekday from 11 a.m. to 4

 p.m. We offer up to fivestory choices each day andyour vote decides whatgoes on the next day's front

 page.

WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL

of 2