Mitsui & Co and UTS have celebrated a partnership that is providing new opportunities for undergraduates to intern in the Indo-Pacific under the Australian Government's New Colombo Plan.

A special event farewelled a new cohort of New Colombo Plan mobility students who will travel to Japan this month to undertake a two-week internship program at Mitsui's Tokyo headquarters and visit several companies operating in other business fields including Toyota and Kimitsu Steel. Mr Masato Takaoka, Consul-General of Japan, Sydney was also in attendance to farewell the students.

Mitsui Chairman and CEO Mr Yasushi Takahashi said the partnership demonstrated Mitsui's longstanding commitment to student mobility and to supporting graduates that are culturally aware and open to different cultural experiences. He wished the students well as they embarked on a life-changing, 'chemical-reaction-like' experience in Japan.

In the first three years of the program, Mitsui has supported internships for 39 New Colombo Plan mobility students and scholarship recipients. In her role as an inaugural New Colombo Plan Business Champion, Mitsui's Director and Executive Vice President Ms Wendy Holdenson, has been active in promoting and supporting the program.

Mitsui is joined by more than 160 organisations from Australia and across the region now registered on the New Colombo Plan Internship and Mentorship Network to promote workplace opportunities available to NCP students.

For more information on the New Colombo Plan and how businesses can connect to a new generation of talented young Australians engaged with the region, visit the New Colombo Plan website.