Leading Regional Conglomerate Launches New Internship Programme

26.06.2015

The interns of the ANSA McAL (Barbados) Ltd. internship programme get ready to tour the company’s main facilities across Barbados.

Seventeen lucky university students and graduates got their summer off to a great start. They will spend six to twelve weeks as interns across subsidiaries belonging to ANSA McAL (Barbados) Ltd. ANSA McAL (Barbados) Ltd. is a division of the Trinidad and Tobago based conglomerate, the ANSA McAL Group of Companies. The internship programme will offer the selected recruits “real life” exposure to the world of work and developing valuable skills to succeed in their chosen professions.

The company’s internship programme is the first of its kind for ANSA McAL (Barbados) Ltd. and attracted almost 300 applicants, says Group Organisational Development Manager, Ms. Monique Hassell. “The response to our call for internship applications was amazing as we received 294 applications. The internships are across the Barbados subsidiaries in the areas of Finance, Human Resources, Sales and Marketing, Administration, Inventory, I.T., Health and Safety and Insurance,” Ms. Hassell noted.

Apart from exposure to the world of work the interns will have the opportunity to attend personal development workshops covering topics such as communications skills, emotional intelligence and time management.

Ms. Hassell said that when the interns were interviewed by officials across the subsidiaries and they were overwhelmed by the “keen, bright and enthusiastic” personalities.

The interns met each other for the first time during a recent orientation at the ANSA McAL (Barbados) Meadow Road facility in Wildey, Barbados. The day’s schedule included an overview of the company’s structure, subsidiaries and company policies as well as a group activity where the interns created and presented posters reflecting the company’s core values – Employee centred, Customer Excellence, Creativity and Innovation, Social Responsibility, and Respect and Trust.

Kris Cadogan, 20, who is studying Labour and Employment Relations at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus said he applied to the internship programme to put into practice the theory he was learning at UWI, “I would most like to take away with me the company’s unique culture.” Mr. Cadogan is interning in the area of human resources in the company’s Finance Sector, which is made up of Consolidated Finance Co. Ltd. and Brydens Insurance Inc.

Shanique Adams, 22, who completed a degree in Accounting, is also an intern at Consolidated Finance. She described her first day working in the collections department as “exciting”. “I want to know more about the organisation and in so doing that will help me chart my career path,” said Ms. Adams.

Another intern, Nicholas Hoyte is a third-year Computer Science major at UWI. He’ll be spending the summer in the I.T. department at ANSA McAL Barbados. He is looking forward to learning more about the role of computer science in business operations. “I wish to fully understand the importance of network infrastructure in relation to keeping a company together, and how vital that is,” he explained. “This opportunity will allow me to see how software is used to connect companies.”

ANSA McAL (Barbados) Ltd. operates several subsidiaries in Barbados including Bryden Stokes Ltd., Trimart Inc., Consolidated Finance Co. Limited, Standard Distributors (Barbados) Ltd., Brydens Insurance, and McEnearney Quality Inc. They employ over 900 persons.