TKS Internship Program By Hamza Khasawneh Grade 12 Student Edited by Ms Azra Hanif TKS IP Coordinator The new academic school year has begun and this year, TKS launched their new Internship Program, “TKS IP”. Students at the KAUST School take the IB Diploma which is known for its academic rigour. The creation of the internship program was created to allow students to apply what they learn in the classroom to the real world as well as learning new skills. The program is an opportunity for students to transfer the skills they have learned in school while learning about future jobs they may look to pursue. A group of 17 responsible students are partaking in the inaugural year of the program. The students are participating in a wide variety of jobs. A group of students are working with the KAUST IT Security department, helping them aid the community in becoming safer online. Within the school, a Grade 12 is working as a teacher assistant in the Elementary school. They are teaching younger students a wide range of topics in coordination with their homeroom teacher. A student from Grade 11 is teaching a gymnastics class with Recreation in the Racquet Club. While the program has just started, students from TKS are making an impact within our community through their new jobs. The full list of departments providing internships are: Human Resources IT Security KAUST Smart Marketing and Communication Social Responsibility Recreation TKS Elementary School Core Labs Innovation & Economic Development
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From this wide range of opportunities, students are exposed to different experiences through which they are developing many skills. Samuel Paterson, working with Marketing and Communication is looking to develop his technical skills by getting “more experience with video editing software, such Adobe Premiere Pro”. On the other hand, Sanaa Ejaz, working with Social Responsibility wants to learn “how you are supposed to work in the workforce”. Sierra Remington, who is teaching the aforementioned gymnastics class, wants to develop her experience as a gymnastics instructor so she can get a “good and fun college job”. While some students are focused on developing their skills and others want to plan for the future, the learning done in a real-world setting is a tremendous way for them to tie in the classroom to the business world. While the program has only been running for a short period of time, many students have learned a lot already. Youssef Elhagrasy, working with IT Security was shocked when learning how much information people have on us based on our digital experiences. Zayd Masry, also working with IT Security came to the conclusion that “information about yourself is valuable”. Hussam Alghamdi, working as a Teacher Assistant, learned about the vast differences “between ‘learning’ and ‘teaching’”. Throughout the duration of the program, no doubt learning will continue. Undertaking this journey requires a lot of courage and commitment considering the already busy schedule the Diploma students juggle. In the future, the TKS IP program aims to expand to allow students to continue making an impact across the Kaust community whilest learning about the real world and enriching the classroom learning. 25
