Twenty-five Irish companies have joined forces to sponsor a number of unemployed graduates for a year of study and work in Asia under a fellowship scheme announced today.
The 25 chosen will spend nine months living in one of the world's most dynamic business regions, where they will attend Nanyang Business School in Singapore while also travelling to locations around the continent to undertake work placements.
The Farmleigh Fellowship is running the programme, which includes a range of sponsors, including financial services firm Information Mosaic and diary food company Glanbia.
Before travelling, the successful candidates will be sent to University College Cork to receive a grounding in the cultural norms and practices of the region.
The 25 participants will be required to show a range of attributes in the selection process, after which they will be assigned to one of the sponsoring companies and will work with them over the 12 months.
The graduates will be required to complete a business project relevant to their company, and they will attain a masters in Asian business that will be awarded by UCC.
Participants will spend three months in Ireland at UCC and nine months in Asia, with four months in Singapore and five months with companies in various locations across the Asia.
The application process is open until October 22nd, and information on applying can be found at www.farmleighfellowship.com.
According to its website, the Farmleigh Fellowship is a not for profit charity organisation based in Singapore. Its objective is to develop a "critical mass of highly skilled professionals" who "will spearhead greater business engagement between Ireland and the Asian region".