What is IAESTE?

Founded in 1948, IAESTE - the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience - is an international network that coordinates on-the-job training for students in the fields of Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, the Natural and Physical Sciences, Architecture and Agricultural Science.

Since 1950, IAESTE United States has linked thousands of America's brightest students with progressive employers in over 80 member countries. IAESTE United States is aimed at developing global skills in tomorrow's technical leaders.

How It Works

An international board coordinates the internship exchange and makes sure that the national committees in each participating country are doing their job. The national committees are almost completely independent: they can decide how the work is to be done in their country, as long as it is not in opposition to IAESTE's basic objectives. The national committees represent educational, student, and industrial interests on the national level.

In turn, the national committee in each country oversees several local committees (LCs) within the country (here are the local committees within the US). LCs at participating universities facilitate student exchanges to and from their university. National and local committees raise jobs for incoming IAESTE trainees, guaranteeing one student placement from the local committee for each job raised, an equal exchange.

The LC has many important duties:

• Arrange new jobs in the region
• Inform students and employers about IAESTE
• Help students and employers with filling out applications
• Arrange accommodations for incoming interns
• Arrange social activities for trainees and committee members

History of IAESTE at NCSU

The Local Committee at North Carolina State University was started by Logan Buck, with the guidance of IAESTE-US, in Fall 2000. With the help of a small, but dedicated, group of members, IAESTE-NCSU arranged jobs with two professors and sent four students abroad. At the next National Conference, IAESTE-NCSU was awarded "Best New LC of the Year."

The following years saw a large increase in membership and job raising. At the 2003 National Conference IAESTE-NCSU was awarded "Best Website" and "Best LC of the Year" (affectionately known as "the pail" or "the bucket"). The years since have continued to bring new members and a remarkable amount of jobs being raised. At the recent 2006 National Conference, IAESTE-NCSU was awarded for raising the most jobs, an award created for our consistent contribution to IAESTE.