We are living in strange times! No, as a forward-thinking person, these are not strange times but how things ought to be happening. Of course, with the COVID-19 pandemic excluded. Nonetheless, the point is, we are finally making decisive steps towards realizing the full potential of cutting edge ICT and internet capabilities.
Tech giant Microsoft has just announced that for this year’s summer internship program, the participating students will do their internship at the company from the safety of their own homes. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you can now do your internship over at Microsoft while never having to leave your doorstep, ever.
This development is among many other virtual events that Microsoft, alongside other big and small companies, has been forced to take following the coronavirus pandemic. Right now, a lot of the workforce whose duties can be executed remotely have been asked by their employer to work from home as a means to curb the spread of the coronavirus infection.
Business-not-as-Usual
It is painfully apparent that the negative impact the virus is having across all the major world economies; from the US, Europe, Africa, and Asian countries. However, thanks to ICT infrastructure, some businesses can continue as people abide by the new norms of social distancing and stay at home.
The annual summer internship program at Microsoft is just the recent event by the company to be transformed from a physical event to a virtual event. This year’s internship program will see the students take up their internship at Microsoft remotely.
“We’re fortunate to have the infrastructure and support needed to deliver a world-class remote internship program through onboarding tools like Microsoft Dynamics 365, and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams,” wrote Kathleen Hogan, the Executive VP and Chief People Officer at the company.
However, it is expected not all qualified students will have the opportunity to take up the virtual internship event. For this group of students, Microsoft has given them the option of deferring their internship at the company until 2021. Hopefully, by then, these all COVID-19 shenanigans will be behind us all.