AIPT

The AIPT Story  

In 1948, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Dr. Karl Compton, MIT board of trustees, and Earl Eames, a graduating senior in chemical engineering active in student government, sought ways in which the institute could join the international cooperative undertaking to rebuild war-torn Europe. As a result of their effort, they formed the U.S. chapter of the newly created International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE). Two years later, 37 American students embarked on a ship to apply their engineering skills in job positions abroad, while 28 employers welcomed 30 foreign trainees to complete short-term training assignments in the United States.

Students and participating employers soon found the effort extremely valuable in many dimensions: as an excellent tool of public diplomacy, as an invaluable learning experience, as an innovative mechanism for personal and professional development, and as a new way for forward-thinking corporations to identify talent and form an international workforce. By 1980, the organization had grown beyond the technical fields and established professional programs, becoming the Association for International Practical Training (AIPT).

Today, AIPT is recognized as the world leader in international human resource development through practical training programs. During its 50th anniversary year in 2000, more than 4,000 trainees from 91 nations advanced their careers and applied their talents at large and small companies in the United States and in 28 other countries. A growing number of the nearly 60,000 AIPT alumni are now visible leaders in their industries, professional fields, and communities.