Massarak (“your path”) is collaboration between Rawabi Foundation and Massar International. A pioneering work-study program, Massarak offers internships to local and international university students through two parallel schemes: Massarak Local and Massarak International. The program helps students apply the knowledge they acquire in the classroom to real-life work challenges, and gain hands-on experience.

Internships are available at any one of Massar International’s 30 subsidiary companies and affiliates. Interns on both Massarak programs receive a compensation package (see below).

Goals of the program:

• To enable students from diverse academic and personal backgrounds to further their education.
• To improve students’ professional skills including presentation, time management and self-confidence.
• To provide students with credentials that will ultimately help them to secure fulltime employment.
• To allow students to explore different career paths.

Massarak Local

Massarak Local is an internship scheme for Palestinian students and recent graduates.

Interns work full or part-time in a company within Massar International. These young employees bring energy and vitality to the workplace and in return are able to explore their chosen field under the guidance of seasoned professionals. Participating students also undertake a specialized training course that reflects their area of study. These include commerce, administration, engineering, marketing, and management.

Since its inception, 200 students and graduates have participated in the program, of which 60% were female. 70% of participants in the program have subsequently been hired for permanent positions at companies within Massar International.

Massarak Local has the following programs:
 

1. Fresh Graduate Program
   
   Graduates join for two months, with the possibility of a further two-month extension, after which there is often the opportunity for full-time employment at a company within Massar International.
    
2. Cooperative Education Program
   
   The Cooperative Education Program (CEP) offers students at Palestinian universities the chance to couple their studies with work experience.
   This program runs in collaboration with the universities listed below. The program is tailored to match the faculty requirements of each university.
   
   
   • Birzeit University: Students from the Faculty of Commerce and Economics join the program for 3 semesters over a period of 3 years and for a total of 240 days. Students receive university credits for this time period.
   • An-Najah National University: Third year students and above, from any faculty or program, join the program for 240 days. Students receive university credits for time spent at Rawabi, and 150JD upon completion of the program.
   • Al-Quds University: This program is available to students enrolled on degree courses including electrical engineering, informational technology and business administration. Students join the program at the beginning of their degree and receive training at Rawabi twice a year (between December and February and between June and August) for the four years of their course.
      
3. Student Training Course
   
   Students in the third or fourth year of their degree programs at other universities in Palestine undertake training courses at companies within Massar International. Course length and credit hours vary according to university.

Applicants for the Massarak Local program should send their CV and a cover letter to: massarak@massar.com

Massarak International

Massarak International places students from leading international universities with a Massar group company or affiliate for two to three months. The program is an opportunity for these companies to benefit from the assistance of highly qualified students specialized in various fields.

The program has been running since 2013 and in that time has hosted over 100 students from leading universities. These include Harvard Business School; John F. Kennedy School of Government; Tufts University; Yale University; Georgetown University; Tuck School of Business; Cornell University; the University of Oxford; the University of Cambridge; King’s College London; and the London School of Economics.

Applicants for the Massarak International program should send their CV and a cover letter to: internationalinterns@rawabi.ps

Massarak Program requirements:

All Massarak interns, local and international, are expected to do the following:

• Create a LinkedIn account and connect it with Massarak’s profile and the profile of their host company.
• ‘Like’/’follow’ Rawabi and the host company on relevant social media platforms.
• Update their CVs in both English and Arabic (local interns only).
• Write 400-600 words about their internship experience for publishing on Rawabi’s blog.

Compensation Packages:

Massarak Local

• Monthly stipend of $230 (shared room) OR $140 (single room) OR $105 (master room) in a furnished apartment in Rawabi (excluding utilities)
• Tour of Rawabi.
• Massarak certificate of training.

Massarak International

• Monthly stipend of $450.
• Return flight to Palestine.
• Airport pick up and drop off.
• Fully furnished single room (utilities up to set limit).
• Work mobile.
• Tours of Rawabi and Ramallah.