NielsenIQ University encourages diverse students to apply for its flagship program

NielsenIQ has partnered with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) as one of its university partners in the NielsenIQ University Program, a 12-week training program designed to help undergraduate students gain exposure and access to the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) industry. Aside from UIC, which is this program’s Chicago based partner university, NielsenIQ has engaged with other local university partners in Atlanta, New York, New Jersey, and several diverse talent organizations as part of this initiative.

In a recent conversation with UIC via Instagram live, the NielsenIQ team shared details about the program, application process, and sample essay questions along with an opportunity for prospective students to ask a NielsenIQ University representative questions live on Instagram video. The session was hosted by Lauren Gallagher, Assistant Director of Career Development and Internships at UIC. Gallagher was in conversation with Lauren Harris, Director of Diversity & Inclusion at NielsenIQ.

Lauren Harris said, “At the early stages of a career, there is a lot of opportunity for growth and learning in the CPG industry for students. This program assists students in getting the right exposure and experience via a specially designed curriculum and real-life marketing challenge for a top CPG brand alongside mentoring from our in-house experts. There is also an opportunity for an internship [supporting a client team] to promote even greater learning.”

The first wave of this flagship program has an enrollment capacity for 125 participants, who will be learning data and analytics along with case studies designed by CPG companies focused on day-to-day business problems. The program module is designed to familiarize students with NielsenIQ’s data and Connect platform technology.

“We are preparing you to tell a great story about your work and your passion through this learning program. This is an exciting career experience that can significantly help students of color to find more open doors for a full-time career within the CPG industry and potentially within our company,” explained Harris.

The enrollment form is available on this link, and the deadline to apply is November 8, 2021. Once the enrollment forms are received, the program team will review applications and select the students for acceptance to the program. The NielsenIQ team will be inviting accepted students to an onboarding session in December with immediate kick-off in January 2022.

The recording of the UIC session with NielsenIQ University is available here on IGTV.