Blue Rubicon and Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) Now Offer Academic Credit Internships for Qatar’s Future Communications Leaders

Blue Rubicon reaffirmed its commitment to Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), by agreeing to offer the 10-12 week internship program for undergraduate students to work in the field of strategic communications now with academic credit. As part of the program, GU-Q’s talented undergraduates will intern during the semester at the Qatar office of Blue Rubicon, the leading global strategic communications and public relations consultancy.

The new agreement is a testament to Blue Rubicon’s on-going desire to support and inspire Qatar’s future generations of leaders in business and communications, by providing educational curricula and training programs responding to the current and future needs of the labor market, as outlined in Qatar’s National Vision 2030. The partnership builds on Blue Rubicon’s existing relationship with leading educational institutions in Doha, and complements the fully funded summer internship scheme Blue Rubicon offers, under which GU-Q students spend time in its London office the latest beneficiaries of which were also announced today.

The internship scheme will enable students to test and refine their skills, apply theoretical knowledge in the work environment, cultivate adaptability and creativity in a dynamic world and increase their marketability to future employers. Blue Rubicon will join existing employers and partners of GU-Q including the Brookings Institute, US Embassy in Qatar and Teach for Qatar, as the first strategic communications consultancy in Qatar to offer this option to Qatar’s future communication leaders.

Georgetown students participating in the internship program, will learn under the guidance and support of Blue Rubicon’s high-level communications experts who have worked with some leading local and international organizations and on renowned campaigns, in the fields of strategic communications, public relations, media training, crisis management, and cutting edge digital communications.

Commenting on the proposal, Dr. Gerd Nonneman, dean of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, said “Georgetown University in Qatar empowers students to make a positive difference in their communities and on the world stage. The new partnership with Blue Rubicon has the potential to take the relationship to a new level by offering our students an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to key aspects of strategic communications and public relations, while also obtaining academic credit in the process. We commend Blue Rubicon for their commitment to working with us on this type of training, helping to widen our students’ future career options.”

Neil Daugherty, Managing Director at Blue Rubicon in Qatar, said “Over the past three years, we have been proud to partner with Georgetown University in Qatar to offer fully-funded summer internships in our London and Doha offices, as part of our commitment to develop a sustainable pipeline of strategic communications and public relations talent in Qatar and the Middle East.”

“It seemed a natural evolution to deepen our relationship with Georgetown by moving to offer 12 week-long formal academic credit internships, which we intend to start in spring 2017, as part of our continued commitment to investing in Qatar’s future leaders”.

This new credit-bearing internship scheme aims to build on Blue Rubicon’s existing partnership with GU-Q, now in its third year, for which Blue Rubicon offers fully funded summer internships for Georgetown’s undergraduate students at its headquarters in London.

Two bright undergraduates, Zarine Abid Bohra and Aya Sharkas, were chosen from a long list of applicants to take part in this year’s highly sought-after summer internship. As part of this scheme, Zarine and Aya will spend two weeks at an in-house training at Blue Rubicon’s headquarters, followed by another two weeks in the agency’s Doha office.

The experience aims to enrich students’ academic experience by blending an international communications approach, with a deep local understanding of Qatar’s working environment, history and culture.

Neil Daugherty added: “We are indebted to the vision of Dean Gerd Nonneman in recognizing the need to prepare Georgetown students for the world of work, and we have been humbled by the quality of interns and applicants in the short life of the scheme. This year was no different, and we congratulate Zarine and Aya in emerging from a strong pool of candidates to earn summer internship placements in London- we wish them well this summer.”

Nadia Al Khater, a GU-Q class of 2016 graduate and a beneficiary of the summer internship scheme from 2015, added: “My internship with Blue Rubicon was wonderful. With back-to-back workshops, as well as great mentors to guide me along the way, it was both an enriching and exciting experience. Even more, the workplace culture was creative and inspiring. I am envious of the new interns in this coming summer program.”