International Studies students tackle trade

For the last three years, students from the Bachelor of International Studies and Bachelor of Global Studies have taken part in a unique workplace experience, interning for the Indonesian Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC).

The goal of the ITPC Internships is to develop communication and intercultural skills within a real-world work placement that requires multidimensional and transdisciplinary thinking.

The International Studies program at UTS is designed to build students' skills in intercultural communication and language proficiency, ensuring they graduate as global citizens able to adapt and succeed in diverse contexts.

Program coordinator Kestity Pringgoharjono says the internships benefits both the students and the ITPC;

This program facilitates engagement between UTS students and Indonesian producers…students are provided with cross-cultural experiences and the opportunity to participate in research and creative content design.

Hear from a student

International Studies student Britney Gonzalez, one of the 2023 ITPC interns, writes of her experience in the program.

As a student in the Bachelor of International Studies, I am required to undertake an internship where I can draw on my knowledge of global issues and employ my skills of intercultural engagement learnt from the degree. 

This semester, I have had the privilege to intern at the Indonesian Trade Promotion Centre in Sydney (ITPC). This internship program is a partnership between UTS and the Indonesian Sustainable Design House for the past three years to promote sustainable Indonesian design and products to the Australian market. It is run by Kestity Pringgoharjono, Director of the Indonesian Sustainable Design House and Dr Kristine Aquino, program coordinator for Global Work Project in the School of International Studies and Education. 

We go on site visits to meet with small to medium Indonesian enterprises and engage with them to learn about their products and discuss ways that the ITPC can best promote their products for the Australian market. One site visit was to Sony Trading Pty Ltd in Lidcombe, an importer and distributor of Indonesian grocery products. Like other visits, I appreciate the honesty of these business owners when discussing the trade challenges they face entering the Australian market. Through these experiences, I have come to develop a deeper appreciation for cross-cultural interactions and the importance of intercultural communication in the professional setting. 

As part of our office work, we attend meetings with Indonesian industry experts - our most recent lecture was from Ms Ingrid from Solo Handmade Carpets. This business reuses fabric offcuts from garment manufacturers in Solo, Central Java, to create handmade carpets. They also have implemented an empowerment program where inmates of a Solo prison are trained to sort and sew the offcuts - learning new skills that will provide them with new job opportunities. 

Another highlight of the internship was our participation at the Sydney’s Fine Food Fair. This was a unique experience where I was tasked with promoting plant-based/vegan ice cream made of coconut milk. I had to understand quickly how to engage with stakeholders and learn the required terminology when discussing distribution and wholesale agreements. During lunch breaks, me and the other interns explored the other stalls and learned about other businesses (and sampled free food!). As I have just returned from my global exchange in Madrid, Spain, I was excited to approach the Spanish section and converse in Spanish, where I ended up with a free 1kg bag of tapas potato chips! By the end of the week, my hands were calloused, but I also came out the other side as a better communicator and learned so much about trade (and the ice cream business!). 

I am now tasked to undertake independent research on Indonesian producers and help communicate their products to the wider Australian public, culminating to a written product story for the Indonesian Sustainable Design House website. I am looking forward to interviewing producers and gaining further exposure to working in an international context. 

One of the most surprising things about this internship is its social aspect - none of the interns knew each other before we began, but we have quickly become good friends. We go out for lunch and grab drinks after internship days.

In previous internships, I have often been the only student, so completing this internship in a group has been fun. I am also grateful for our incredible coordinator, Kestity Pringgoharjono, who has facilitated a great program and inspired the internship cohort as an excellent role model.