Westminster expands exclusive internship programme with United Nations for 2025

Westminster’s exclusive internship programme with the UN Migration Agency, also known as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), emerged thanks to a collaboration agreement signed between the University and the United Nations Migration Agency in 2022. Following the great success of previous interns, the UN-IOM and Westminster have now expanded their programme to offer 19 internships to students across the University.

These full-time internships are located in UN headquarters and offices across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central America, and provide students with opportunities to develop their skills and build strong foundations for their careers. Several interns have gone on to secure full-time positions at the UN-IOM after completing their programmes, which last between three to nine months.

The 2025 internships are now open for applications to all second-year, third-year and Master’s students at the University of Westminster Applications are open until 24 January 2025, with internships starting around May 2025.

Students from diverse disciplines have participated in the programme from Politics and International Relations to Languages, Data Science and Business Management. Justina Aikeremiokha, a recent Business Information Systems BSc Honours graduate currently interning at IOM’s Kosovo office, said: “the projects [I work on] perfectly align with my degree, allowing me to apply my academic knowledge to real-world settings while strengthening my skills in data management and IT solutions.”

About the programme, Caroline Reagan, a recent International Relations MA graduate who joined the Recovery and Resilience division of IOM in Nairobi for a six-month internship, said: “[The internship was] a transformative experience that has equipped me with the skills, knowledge and passion to make a positive impact on the world. Working alongside experienced professionals at IOM has provided invaluable mentorship and guidance through which I have received constructive feedback and honed my skills in research, data analysis, report writing and project management, while also developing my professional networks.”

Amaan Haris, who recently completed his International Relations and Development BA Honours degree and joined the IOM Regional Office in Vienna for a nine-month internship, commented: “One of the highlights of my internship so far has been conducting a travel duty to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, following the development of a two-day in-person training module on case management for migrants vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. This mission enabled me to support the Country Office staff and share knowledge, learning and experiences. Leading on numerous sessions was an amazing opportunity to see how operations work on the ground and how our work directly supports the people we set out to help: migrants.”

Amaan added: “I want students who apply for these internships to know that their work, whether operational or policy-focused, will be supporting the rights and dignity of some of the most vulnerable populations around the world.”

Dr Sahar Taghdisi Rad, Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy and Director of Employability for the School of Social Sciences at Westminster, said: “Through our impactful partnership with a fast-growing UN agency, these exclusive internships provide our students with incredible opportunities for high-level professional development and brilliant entry points to international careers. Our interns’ inspirational experiences have paved the way for many more students to take interest in these opportunities. We are now the leading UK university in terms of the success and growth of such programme.”

Westminster students can apply for the 2025 cycle of internships until Friday 24 January.

For more information regarding this internship programme, contact Dr Sahar Taghdisi Rad.

Learn more about Employability support at the University of Westminster.