Special American Business Internship Training Program


SABIT
The Special American Business Internship Training Program
U.S. Department of Commerce
Room 3319
14th & Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20230
Telephone: 202.482.0073
Facsimile: 202.482.2443
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: http://www.itaiep.doc.gov/sabit/sabit.html

U.S. Commercial Office
SABIT Program
15, Novinsky Bulvar
Moscow, 121099, Russia
(095) 255-48-48
(095) 255-46-60

OR U.S. Foreign Commerical Service
#7 Kudriavsky Uzviz-2nd Floor
Kiev, 53 Ukraine 25053


BACKGROUND: The Department of Commerce's Special American Business Internship Training Program (SABIT) assists economic restructuring in the New Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union while boosting U.S. trade opportunities by placing NIS executives and scientists in U.S. firms for three- to six-month internships to gain firsthand experience in a market economy. SABIT is a "win-win" opportunity for participating U.S. firms and their NIS counterparts.

U.S. COMPANY BENEFITS: By training potential business partners in American ways of management, U.S. exporters gain allies who can become their best customers in the NIS. Moreover, participating U.S. firms gain insight into the business and scientific climate in the NIS. Well over 120 million dollars in U.S. export revenues have already resulted from the U.S.-NIS business relationships fostered by the SABIT program and preliminary indications show that this is just the beginning.

NIS BENEFITS: SABIT interns return to their countries armed with new technologies and innovative management skills necessary to support the NIS transition to free market economies. Uniformly, SABIT interns say that participating in the SABIT program has not only provided an invaluable opportunity to witness first hand how a market economy operates, but has also changed their attitudes.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT: The SABIT program is managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, which makes awards on a competitive basis to U.S. firms to defray the costs of the internships. Participating SABIT companies have the choice of either nominating to SABIT a candidate whom they wish to train, or selecting an intern from the SABIT database of 1000 interested executive and scientist candidates. Through SABIT, the U.S. Government reimburses the cost of each intern's round trip airfare and a $30 per diem, to be given directly to the intern to cover meals and incidentals. The maximum amount for each award is $7,500 for six months of training. The host firms pay the remainder of the costs of the internship, including housing, medical insurance, and the time of their managers who provide the training.

U.S. firms interested in participating in the SABIT program should contact the U.S. Department of Commerce for an application kit. Company applications are reviewed on a competitive basis. All profit and non-profit organizations are encouraged to apply to the program, however SABIT gives priority consideration to U.S. companies in the following sectors: agribusiness, defense conversion, energy, environment, financial services, health care, housing, product standards and quality control, telecommunications, and transportation. Selected companies have the option to choose an intern from SABIT's pool of pre-screened candidates, or to recommend specific candidates to SABIT. The program reimburses the cost of each intern's round trip airfare and a daily $30 stipend, to be given directly to the intern to cover his/her meals and incidental expenses. Host companies provide the intern's hands-on training, housing, medical insurance and visa sponsorship.

More information on these programs, as well as funding information and comments from alumni are available at SABIT's Web site.

Sponsored by:
Center for Civil Society International

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Last updated: January 27, 1997