Benefits Abound in Qualified Internship System
The first time in a real working environment such as an office or a construction site can be an intimidating experience. No matter how much education and theoretical training a person receives, nothing can really prepare him or her for what awaits in the real world. In many countries a system has been put in place to counter this problem – internships.
About her recent internship, a student from Addis Ababa University, Saba, says that it “eliminates the barrier of the idea of the professional world.”
As a significant part of the University Reform being undertaken by the Engineering Capacity Building Program (ecbp) in Ethiopia, a Qualified Internship System (QIS) is being introduced as a prerequisite for graduation from the Faculties of Technology at universities.
“It’s difficult to get practical education in school, but with this internship we get to see things practically,” explains Biruh, a student just completing the pilot QIS program.
Two hundred and twenty students from Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar Universities have just completed the 3 month pilot QIS program in both private and public organizations. This experience has not only allowed these students to become comfortable in a working environment, but for many they were given the chance to enhance their skills in a hands-on setting, which for many will leave a more lasting impact on their education.
Bezaye, a Construction Technology Management student who worked in the Housing Department, was especially happy with the management experience she gained through this internship as it was something that could not be learned in a classroom.
Benefits Not Limited to Students
Job creation is widely supported as an important step towards development, and for the most part the large companies in Ethiopia would love to hire new employees, especially university graduates. The problem, however, is that these companies must spend a great deal of time and money on training new employees in the skills that they did not receive during their formal education. With the QIS program some of this time and money can be reduced if the company directly hires its interns.
As Hilou Vogelmann, the QIS Expert at ecbp, explains, “Companies cannot employ without training, so this kind of program is very beneficial for them.”
Some of the larger companies involved in the pilot QIS program such as Ethiopian Airlines have extensive training programs for new employees which can last more than a year. When the QIS begins in full next September some of these same companies plan to integrate the interns into their employee training programs – a good first step towards employment for the student.
Changing Cultures
There is a long history of interns coming from universities in Ethiopia. In the past the Faculties of Technology would create lists of the students with the best grades who would then be assigned to a public organization for an internship. These internships rarely produced good outcomes and were not associated with quality.
The QIS program that ecbp is helping to implement focuses on quality outputs for the students, the host organization, and the university. During the pilot phase, students were expected to submit a CV to the university UIL office, in addition to an application letter and secure support from a faculty staff member who would act as their mentor during the internship. From the very beginning this ensured that students were dedicated to what they would be doing.
The pilot program also opened the eyes of large private companies, some of whom were not aware that internship programs with quality students were available from universities. In the past technology interns came primarily from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutes.
Just the Beginning
This round of internships was just the pilot program. Next September, Addis Ababa University will be sending at least 450, 7th semester students into internships with private and public companies throughout Ethiopia. The following September Bahir Dar, Mekelle, and Jimma universities will begin the QIS program which will mean over 1,400 interns nationwide. In 2011, 7 universities will be involved in the QIS program bringing the total number of students to 8,428 for that year alone. This is a very rapid increase in the number of students that will need placements for internships and to address that ecbp is already working with universities and industries to create solutions within the next 3 years.
Now that there is awareness amongst companies of the value that interns can bring to their organization and understanding from students of what they have to gain from such an assignment, the QIS program should move forward smoothly. Internships, once thought of as free labor for government offices, in the future will be seen as an important rung on everyone’s career ladder.