DOHA: Carnegie Mellon business administration student Yasmine Abdelrahman knows she will need more than high marks in the classroom to compete in a global marketing place when she graduates. She must also have hands-on experience in the workplace.

"Having experience in a work environment adds a lot to your resume," she says. "High grades and charity work is good too, but it will not always get you in the interview chair."

And getting in that interview chair is a lot easier if you've done an internship, according to J Patrick McGinnis, lecturer in Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business. "Internships are an integral part of the American business school education," McGinnis says. "Students get the benefit of obtaining real-life experience and applying theories learned in the classroom to the field where they will eventually work. Employers also gain through internships because students provide a legitimate contribution to the organisation."

To assist both students and companies with the internship process, Carnegie Mellon offers a programme called Connections. This programme is designed to bring together companies who want to offer internships with student who want experience. To date more than 25 Carnegie Mellon Qatar students have completed internships and a few are already laying plans for a second one.

Khadra Dualeh, director of the Office of Professional Development and International Education at Carnegie Mellon Qatar, works closely with potential employers to develop the right internship opportunities for students. This first-hand experience gives students the chance to apply what they have learned in the classroom to real-world situations.

Companies such as ConocoPhilips, Specialty Teaching Hospital and Qtel have already taken Carnegie Mellon students as interns, and many more are lining up. Microsoft, QatarGas, HSBC and RasGas are just a few organisations that are now developing internship opportunities. More information on the programme can be had from Khadra Dualeh (Tel: 4928289).