Lebanese Interns Learn Crucial Skills and Build Bridges

"This is an experience I’ll never forget," said Karim Kattouf, speaking of his internship with San Jose, California-based Cisco Systems, Inc., arranged through the Partnership for Lebanon Internship Program.

Karim Kattouf

Lebanese youth are the future leaders of Lebanon. Their skills and their abilities are crucial to the long-term growth of the Lebanese economy. The Partnership for Lebanon is working to plant the seeds of such growth by teaming with businesses and educational organizations to provide Lebanese youth with the skills they need to compete in a 21st century marketplace.

The Partnership for Lebanon was established in September, 2006 by business leaders from five U.S. corporations: Cisco, GHAFARI, Intel, Microsoft and Occidental Petroleum. Global Impact was chosen to be the fiscal administrative partner of the fund. The fund’s mission is to assist the reconstruction efforts in Lebanon and to help the people of Lebanon achieve long-term stability.

The Partnership focuses on five key areas: Connected Communities, Workforce Training and Education, Job Creation/Private Sector Revival, ICT Infrastructure and Relief and Response. The Internship Program allows interns to gain real-world experience at major international companies and learn critical skills to help them build successful careers and businesses. The first group of 20 interns, young men and women with diverse academic backgrounds, arrived in the United States in April of 2007.

Bridging the Gap

Interns with Randy Pond, Cisco's Executive Vice President of Operations, Processes and Systems

In addition to gaining invaluable experience, the interns also helped to bridge the gap between Lebanon and the United States, sharing their insight and culture with their hosts.

“It’s been wonderful hosting interns here at Cisco,” said Christina McGlew, intern manager. “They’ve done excellent work, added value to our business and they’ve also proven to be great friends and colleagues. They’ve provided remarkable insight into Lebanon and the entire Mid-East region. I think we’ve learned as much from them as they’ve learned from us.”

Kattouf also praised the program. “Having the chance to come to the United States and work side by side with professionals in top companies is just an unbelievable opportunity. We’re learning things here that you would never learn in the classroom. When we head home we’ll take great memories with us but, just as important, we’ll take the skills we need to help transform our country into a better place to live and raise a family.”

During his internship, Karim managed the process for the public relations agency selected to represent the Partnership for Lebanon; developed the structure for a Corporate Affairs wiki site; and developed and managed the migration and updates to the Partnership website. 

Meet the Interns!

Visit www.lebanonpartnership.org to learn more about the Partnership for Lebanon, its leaders and the fund's Workforce Training and Education projects. Here you may also view brief profiles of Karim and his fellow interns.

Return to Global News