First of its kind National Internship Programme launched
The Minister of High Education, Training and Innovation, Dr. Itah Kandji-Murangi on Monday officially launched the MTC Namibia National Internship Programme in Windhoek. The three-year long programme is the country’s first national revolution for education internships.
According to MTC in a statement the key focus is to assist students that require internships to graduate and subsequently create job ready and experienced graduates.
Parallel to this objective, the programme will hence be assisting institutions of high learning to find internship placements for students and in the long run accelerate job creation amongst the youth, they added.
At the launch, MTC’s Board Chairperson Elvis Nashilongo echoed the sentiments of students who are often turned away by employers due to a lack of experience.
“We call on employers to drop the mantra of demanding work experience from interns. No one was born with experience and such a practice impedes development and social progress,” said Nashilongo, adding that the programme is directed towards strengthening this collaboration between institutions of higher learning and corporate Namibia.
The programme will accommodate 160 interns per year that will be placed at various public and private institutions.
MTC will pay an allowance of N$3000 per student over a period of 3 months, and where a student requires six months internship, an amount of N$1500 will be paid.
“This programme is a deliberate effort by MTC to open graduates access real work integrated learning. Despite graduates’ determination, commitment, honesty and their unstoppable desire to work, more often than not, doors are shut in their faces for lack of requisite exposure, experience and internship. Indeed, partnerships like this one make MTC and partners significant stakeholders in Namibia’s human capital development,” said Kandji-Murangi, adding that students equipped with the practical skills are job ready.
The launch revealed the 22 partner organizations who will be taking on the 160 students. Three other organizations pledged interest at the launch.
To ensure the effective management and administration of the programme, a steering committee is set up and will assist in the placement of students and serve as liaison go-between students and corporates.
The education institutions participating in the MTC Namibia National Internship programme are University of Namibia (UNAM), Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), International University of Management (IUM), Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) and vocation training centers through the Namibia Training Authority (NTA).
