Gildan’s Summer Internship Programme is a 13-week initiative designed to provide second to final-year students from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Barbados Community College (BCC) with meaningful exposure to the corporate world. Focusing on students from fields such as Management, Marketing, Economics, Psychology, Accounts, Human Resources, International Business, and Graphic Design, who are selected based on a rigorous evaluation process, the programme aims to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application by immersing interns in a professional environment where they can develop new skills and contribute to Gildan’s operations.
The programme plays a key role in Gildan’s recruitment efforts by allowing the Company to nurture young talent and identify potential future hires. In the past, participants who have excelled during the programme have been considered for full-time employment, reinforcing the programme’s role in Gildan’s long-term talent acquisition strategy.
The 13-week programme, which typically runs from May to August, engages 26 interns across various departments, including Finance, Human Resources, IT, Customer Service, Inventory Control, Transportation and Logistics, and Marketing. Each intern works on department-specific tasks, applying their academic knowledge to real-world scenarios. For example, Finance interns may assist with recording monthly charges and preparing month- end accruals, while Marketing interns may focus on tasks such as brand audits and digital asset management.
In addition, the programme provides interns with mentoring and professional development opportunities through “lunch and learn” sessions with senior executives, workshops on personal branding, and community engagement activities. These sessions are designed to complement the technical skills interns acquire with important soft skills required to succeed professionally and personally, exposing them to multiple people, and multiple parts of Gildan’s business, and enhancing their confidence to contribute to a global organization. Interns also receive a bi-weekly stipend for their work, enabling them to gain a well-rounded experience of professional life.
With managers and senior leaders consistently investing time and resources into mentoring and coaching interns, the internship programme remains an essential part of Gildan’scorporate culture, preparing students to succeed in the workforce and shaping the next generation of professionals.
(PR)