Golden Opportunity: Postgraduate International student Maritess Alera takes on Ferrero-Australia Internship

A decision to take a career break and study further is paying off for International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS) postgraduate student Maritess “Tess” Alera who has secured an internship at Ferrero Pty Ltd Australia & New Zealand (further referred to as Ferrero) as part of her ICMS Master of International Business degree.

Tess, originally from the Philippines, lived and worked in major Middle Eastern cities such as  Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Doha in Qatar for the past 15 years. Tess then decided to study again and completed an ICMS Graduate Certificate of Business in 2021. She is currently completing her ICMS Master of International Business and is on Work Integrated Learning (WIL) industry training at Ferrero Pty Ltd Australia & New Zealand. 

Her role as Supply Chain Intern at Ferrero-Australia in Sydney will bolster her academic knowledge of supply chain and logistics, and will be an excellent point of reference to add on her CV.

A package deal

Ferrero was founded in the 1940s and the multinational company’s Australian operation started in 1974. Famous Ferrero brands include Tic Tac, NUTELLA®, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder Surprise, Kinder Chocolate and Bueno.

“This internship brings a practical experience that can provide an opportunity for students like me to enter the job market,” Tess said.

“It’s a good start to being known in the company and encourages me to do my best and share the knowledge I have of what I have learned from my studies at ICMS.”

ICMS is a higher education institution with campuses in Manly and Sydney’s business district. Founded in 1996, ICMS is a leader in career-focused, quality education and offers undergraduate bachelor’s and postgraduate master’s degrees to Australian and international students.

All degrees and courses have WIL incorporated, with students able to use the internships built into their degrees to gain practical experience in the industry of their choice, and build vital networks and connections they can use to further their post-study careers.

Tess decided to pause her career in Doha to boost her CV, and the GBC allowed her to transition to the ICMS Master of International Business which will open doors in upper management. The ICMS Postgraduate Certificate of Business (GCB) is a pathway to study an ICMS Master degree.

“When I was in Qatar, I was at the peak of my career, handling a lot of reports with well-known brands such as Belkin, Apple, Bosch, Bose, Dyson, and a lot more, but I needed to give up on them to give way to this chance of studying again,” Tess said.

“I was hesitant at first because it’s been a number of years of not studying after I graduated in college but because of a mutual decision with my husband, I was able to study this Master degree.”

She started off studying online from her home base due to the Covid-19 pandemic and border closures, but was able to move to Australia when restrictions were lifted.