The IIP was established as a partnership between the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and ESMT. The six-month program is tuition-free and taught pro-bono by faculty from ESMT. It prepares over 100 mathematically trained graduates each year for their transition from academia to business. It was launched in 2017 as a four-year pilot program and is now in its seventh year. The backbone of the program is a 3–6-month long internship module with participating industry partners, beginning five weeks after the program starts, during which participants will experience a business environment firsthand and apply their academic learning. So far, over 80 percent of graduates have transitioned to full-time employment on completing the program. 

The financial contribution from the Dr. Jost Henkel Stiftung will enable up to 80 IIP students to participate in internships in 2022 and 2023. In the past year, the first 15 stipends have been already successfully awarded to fellows in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda. The financial support in particular covers the cost of living, which often prevents students from being able to undertake internships outside their place of residence, and for the first time opens up opportunities within public sector organizations in Africa. The majority of students in 2023 will be placed in internships in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon, and South Africa.  

“With the scholarship program, we can provide targeted support to students in Africa, prepare them for their future careers, and thus create economic opportunities for skilled nationals in their home countries. In this way, together with ESMT and AIMS, we can make an important contribution to sustainable industrial development in Africa. We believe in the power of education to create lasting impact and matching this with the appropriate transition to employment is the key to a strong economy from which the next generations will benefit,” says Karol-Monique Westhoff, managing director of the Dr. Jost Henkel Stiftung. 

“The generous financial support of the Dr. Jost Henkel Stiftung makes an important contribution to our ability to scale the IIP and allows us to directly contribute to strengthening the capacity of public sector organizations in Africa through our graduates. At the same time, this step also contributes to the furthering of ESMT’s mission to create positive social impact through responsible management education” says Nick Barniville, co-founder of the Industry Immersion Program and member of the board of the ESMT Circle of Friends. 

About Dr. Jost Henkel Stiftung 

The Dr. Jost Henkel Stiftung promotes academic diversity and supports ambitious young people globally in pursuing their studies or doctorates in a flexible and individual way. The foundation offers individual scholarships and cooperates with universities as part of the German scholarship program ‘Deutschlandstipendium.’ In addition, it promotes advanced scientific training and continuing education in partnership with universities. The foundation was established in 1958 to mark Dr. Jost Henkel’s 25-year anniversary of working at Henkel. Even at that time, it was a personal concern of his to contribute to equal opportunities in education. www.dr-jost.henkel-stiftung.com