Updated December 1998
The Department of Commerce's Special American Business Internship Training (SABIT) program provides hands-on training in U.S. firms to managers and scientists from the New Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union. Under SABIT, the Department of Commerce awards grants to American organizations to defray the costs of hosting NIS executive interns for three-to-six months of training in the U.S. This unique private sector-U.S. Government partnership was created in order to support the NIS countries' transition to market economies while boosting U.S.-NIS long-term trade.
The SABIT program implements two types of training--individual training and group training by industrial sector. NIS managers and scientists interested in receiving SABIT internship training may apply to the program at any time. Approximately 85 percent of the U.S. companies that participate in SABIT already know whom they wish to train, so SABIT only matches about 15 percent of the companies with interns. Due to the fact that SABIT cannot predict the type or number of U.S. company applications it receives, it cannot estimate a time frame in which intern applicants may receive a response. Because of the competitive nature of the program, most applicants will not be placed. The best advice for applicants is for them to encourage a suitable U.S. organization in their field with which they have contact to apply to SABIT.
SABIT intern applicants must be in positions of significant responsibility in their employing organizations and have five years' experience in their field to be considered for internships. Applicants are screened by the SABIT program, which then forwards applications of qualified individuals to participating U.S. companies. The U.S. firms make the final decision about whom they will train. Applicants will be selected on the basis of professional and educational achievements as well as their suitability for the internships available at participating U.S. companies. Except for specialized training programs, applicants must be able to speak and understand English well. All applicants' English-language ability will be assessed prior to being recommended to a U.S. firm.
Applications must be accompanied by a letter from the candidate's supervisor in his or her employing organization which contains the following information: a description of the applicant's present duties, permission for the candidate to participate in the program, the possible start date, and the maximum length of time the intern could be away from his or her duties if accepted into the program and selected for an internship.
A SABIT representative in the NIS will call applicants who meet the program's criteria and who may be suitable for an available internship, to arrange an interview. If the interviewer determines the candidate is suitable for internship training according to the program's criteria, the candidate will be recommended to the U.S. firm for further consideration. If an applicant is selected for an internship by a U.S. firm, SABIT will contact the applicant immediately to inform them. It is not necessary for applicants to call SABIT for this information.
For those applicants selected as interns, SABIT reimburses the host
companies for each intern's airfare from their home country to the
internship site, as well as $30 per day for meals and incidental expenses.
The sponsoring U.S. company provides each intern with housing, medical
insurance, and a comprehensive training program. Interns may not be
accompanied by their family. Interns must have valid international
passports on which to travel. SABIT offices in the NIS can assist with
the visa application process but cannot guarantee the receipt of visas, as
that is a State Department decision. SABIT interns travel to the U.S. on
B-1 business visas, which do not allow for the receipt of a salary or
honorarium. SABIT interns may not seek permanent employment in the
U.S. and must return to their home country at the end of their
internships.
The SABIT program also runs several specialized training programs in
areas such as environmental technologies, financial services, and
standards/certification. Candidates for the specialized programs are not
required to speak English. They must, however, have 3-5 years of
scientific or management experience in their field. For information or
applications for the SABIT Specialized programs, please contact one of
the SABIT representatives listed below or the nearest U.S. embassy.
Completed applications can be sent to either SABIT office in the NIS or
to any U.S. embassy.