Wittenborg's MBM Student Lands Internship with Global Company

During this unprecedented and unstable time, getting an internship is almost always a challenge, especially for international students in the Netherlands. However, for Waleed Jawaid, an MBM student specialising in Digital Marketing & Communication at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences, securing that opportune work placement was a lucky break. Jawaid, who is from Pakistan, has just landed an internship with Happy Printing, an online printing platform, which is based in the Netherlands but has franchises all over the world.

MBM is Wittenborg's New Master of Science Programme

Having obtained a bachelor's degree in Events Management from Wittenborg, Jawaid returned to his alma mater university to do his MBA in 2019, after a few years working in Amsterdam. He registered for the MBA in Hospitality Management programme initially, but when he found out that Wittenborg has just started an MBM programme in Digital Marketing & Communication, he swiftly requested a change.

Wittenborg's Master in Business Management (MBM) programme, which has just been accredited as a Master of Science (MSc) for the next 6 years by the Dutch Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO) in August 2020, is a new programme which started in September 2019. Unlike the classic MBA programme, the MBM programme does not require applicants to have at least 3-years' work experience. Besides that, students are offered specialisation modules from the first semester and they are also introduced to professional-based learning and company exposure.

HappyPrinting Nederland Hopes to Have More International Interns

When asked how he landed this internship, Jawaid said that he found it on Stage Plaza, a Dutch-based online area where students can find internships. The website is in Dutch, but he said he got lucky and found HappyPrinting as the advertisement was in English. According to Jawaid, HappyPrinting Nederland is an online printing platform and has live franchises in Spain, Bulgaria, the Philippines, New Zealand and Norway, with plans to launch in Japan, Ecuador and Mexico in the pipeline. The company, which is part of the global HappyPrinting network of local printers, was founded in 2017 by Sven Rusticus and Jean Pierre who are both Dutch. Rusticus had spoken to Wittenborg's external relations coordinator, Yanti Setiawan and has voiced out that he would like to have more international students as interns in his company.

"Studying at Wittenborg has broadened my horizons." - Waleed Jawaid, Wittenborg's MBM student

Jawaid is all praises for Wittenborg and its MBM programme, and said, "Wittenborg has taught me really well. Modules like Future of Integrated Digital Marketing, New Media Marketing and Business Intelligence have been effective in helping and preparing me for this internship and, I believe, for my future career. I consider myself as an ambassador of Wittenborg and I hope I will prove myself well."

When asked why he chose this line of career, Jawaid said, "Studying at Wittenborg has broadened my horizons and I want to work internationally. I think Digital Marketing is a career which is really booming and I want to have hands-on experience as a Growth Marketer as this is what I am really interested in." He is responsible for working with Bulgaria, Philippines and New Zealand offices and ensuring that their marketing strategies are in order. His job entails various responsibilities such as Marketing Strategy, International Communication Analysis, Marketing Calendars Implementation, Search Engine Advertising (SEA), Social Media Advertising as well as SEO and Email Marketing.

Internship a Stepping Stone For Future Career

Jawaid hopes that this internship will serve as a stepping stone towards a permanent job in HappyPrinting, or if not, towards a managing position in an international company, which is his ultimate career aspiration. When asked if he has any special advice for his fellow Wittenborg students, Jawaid said that no doubt it is difficult to find an internship with or without the COVID-19 pandemic, but they should never give up on anything and continue to work hard. He believes that with consistent effort, they will surely find a way towards securing a good internship.

For more information on the company, visit https://www.happyprinting.nl/.
For more information on Wittenborg's MBM programme, see https://www.wittenborg.eu/choose-your-programme.htm

WUP 1/10/2020
by Hanna Abdelwahab
©WUAS Press