Internship placements pay off
From left to right: Tim Ekandjo, President of the Institute of People Management, Khumalo Kapelwa, Industry Liaison Officer of the Cooperative Education Unit at the Polytechnic, and Dr. Mpuang, MD and guest speaker at the institute’s recent awards dinner.
The conference was opened by the Prime Minister Dr Hage Geingob and Tim Ekandjo as its President. This year’s theme was ‘HR Raising the Bar’.
Several awards were handed out based on nominations made by delegates of IPM. A committee reviewed all entries and based on the motivations, selected the top achievers. Among the best achievers was the Cooperative Education Unit of the Polytechnic, which received the IPM Excellence Award for placing the most students with organisations for internships. The awards were presented during a Gala Dinner held at the Hilton Hotel. The award ceremony and dinner was graced by Dr Mpuang, a medical doctor at Gabarone Private Hospital in Botswana, who was also the guest speaker.
Carva Pop, Director of the Cooperative Education Unit said,“It is vital that we, as the Cooperative Education Unit educate the private and public sector on the necessity to open themselves up to internships for students.” “The students are the future of this country and its economic growth. Exposing them to real life work situations is the best way to ensure a well-educated and work-ready employee. This award shows that our organization is making a real impact,” he added.
The Cooperative Education Unit is a unit within the Polytechnic of Namibia, headed by Carva Pop. The unit ensures that thousands of Poly students find internship placements at companies, parastatals and government organisations. “This makes the Polytechnic the only institution that ensures all students get to experience an internship. It has made the Unit key in educating other institutions on Work Integrated Learning. The Cooperative Education Unit also makes a concerted effort to consult and educate the public and private sector on Work Integrated Learning” explained Pop.
