Four students of the Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM) in Jamaica are among 300 students from around the world participating in this year’s EY (Ernst & Young) Summer Internship programme in New York City.

The four MSBM students selected for the coveted internship are Kerry-Ann Reid, Ronique Johnson, Davian Samuels, who are pursuing BSc Accounting degrees; and Jody-Ann Lawrence, who is pursuing an MSc Accounting degree.

The students were selected based on their stellar performances at Ernst & Young Jamaica, during the internship segment of the Ernst & Young/UWI Accounting Co-op Programme.

Ernst & Young Global Limited (known as EY) is a multinational professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the “Big Four” audit firms, globally, and the third largest professional services firm in the world by aggregated revenue in 2014.

“Providing this international assignment to our local university students at the EY office in New York will allow them to gain international experience, at a young age, and it embodies many elements of EY’s commitment to building a better working world, including developing future leaders and creating inclusive, borderless teams,” according to Allison Peart, Country Managing Partner at Ernst & Young Jamaica.

Peart says that she also benefited greatly from the Ernst & Young (EY) international experience prior to becoming an executive of the local company.

The EY summer internship is a six-month programme, in which the Jamaican students will join other students from across the globe in getting fully involved with life and work at EY.

It starts with an induction to the firm, after which the pace gradually picks up as they will find themselves doing the same kind of work as EY graduates. They will be part of team working with EY’s clients in one of the company’s four business areas — advisory, assurance, corporate tax and tax.

If the internship goes well for the student, there’s a good chance he/she will be offered a graduate position within the team he/she had been working with during the internship.

“That means the pressure to find a job during your final year at university is off, and you can slot back into a team you’re already familiar with once you finish your degree,” EY says in a statement on the internships.

Michael Williams, head of the MSBM finance and accounting unit, said that the school is proud to have its students engaged “in such a great opportunity to practice accounting at a high level”.

“We are excited to see that within a two-year span, the Ernst & Young/ UWI Accounting Co-op Programme has not only provided our students with hands on experience, but also international exposure,” Williams said.

The students have been afforded this opportunity through their participation in the Ernst & Young UWI Accounting Co-op Programme, which has been underway since 2013.

The UWI programme responds to the demand for experienced graduates, by aligning students with partner companies such as EY and Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC).

Participants in the local Co-op programme gain invaluable work experience as well as the opportunity to earn as they study. The programme represents a paradigm shift, as the UWI reinforces its commitment to producing work ready graduates by creating platforms for “on the job training”.