Minnesota Organization For Global Professional Assignments

Causes: Education, International, International Academic Exchange, International Exchange, International, Foreign Affairs & National Security

Mission: MOGPA is a not-for-profit corporation whose purpose is to develop a corps of Americans who can satisfy the demand of American business for personnel ready to operate in the complex world of a global economy and to be particularly prepared to work within the Japanese and Chinese business cultures. MOGPA seeks to: 1) Reach American college/university students or recent graduates who are pursuing a career in business, science, or technology; 2) Create a vision in their minds of the need for bilingual, cross-cultural professionals in Asia and motivate them to participate; 3) In cooperation with American companies, have these multilingual, young Americans work for 6-12 months as professionals in China or Japan. This program lays the foundation for the development of future international business leaders who must be equipped with professional, linguistic, and cultural skills. MOGPA brings together the needs of the employer in China or Japan with the desires of the multilingual, professionally trained person, and then takes care of all logistical details such as visas, transportation, housing, salary, and timing. The program was initiated in 1991 with a grant from 3M Corporation for development and pilot testing. The success of the pilot was affirmed in October 1998 with the awarding of a MDCP grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce. In addition, recent graduates of MOGPAs program have been hired by highly regarded firms.