Shaping future careers: Internships and job shadowing

Phillipus Josef
Internships and job shadowing have become an essential part of gaining experience in today’s competitive job market.

According to a report by the Namibian Chamber of Environment, the organisation spent over N$7 million from 2018 to 2023 on internships and bursary programmes.

The report, released in November 2023, pinpointed the investments made in supporting students and young professionals, offering them opportunities to gain relevant work experience.

Meanwhile, as reported by a local newspaper, the Namibia Institute for Pathology (NIP) on 16 July became the fifth corporate partner in the Namibia National Internship Programme (NNIP), joining the ranks of Momentum Metropolitan, Old Mutual, Standard Bank Namibia and MTC.

To support this national effort, MTC has committed N$2 million annually, while NIP contributed N$300 000.

This partnership aims to aid youth development and support Namibia's transition to a knowledge-based economy.

Furthermore, according to a local newspaper, MTC’s chief of operations Tim Ekandjo highlighted that over 48 000 students nationwide require work-integrated learning (WIL) to graduate.

"We welcome NIP’s support, which will help upscale the programme’s capacity," Ekandjo said.

To date, the NNIP has placed 990 students in various sectors, addressing the shortage of WIL opportunities.



Opportunities and challenges

Internships offer practical experience while also helping individuals build professional connections in their chosen fields.

They provide a glimpse into the daily realities of a profession and help students decide if it is something they want to pursue.

Work shadowing, on the other hand, allows students to follow professionals for a day to observe their tasks and responsibilities.

Thirza Damons, a guidance counsellor at St Paul’s College in Windhoek, explained that “work shadowing is a great way for students to see the real world beyond the safety of school environments. It’s a critical opportunity to observe a job and understand what it entails.”

Despite the many benefits of internships, there are also challenges. Some internships offer little or no pay, which can be discouraging for those who need financial support.

Furthermore, interns are sometimes tasked with menial work like filing or making coffee.

Damons added that many interns lose interest due to a lack of compensation or proper recognition within the company.

In contrast, internships provide vital experience that can enhance employability.

As noted by Namibian Sun, employers are increasingly looking for internship experience when hiring, making these opportunities even more critical.

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Republikein 2024-11-08

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Katima Mulilo: 24° | 36° Rundu: 19° | 33° Eenhana: 21° | 28° Oshakati: 21° | 27° Ruacana: 21° | 32° Tsumeb: 19° | 23° Otjiwarongo: 18° | 28° Omaruru: 19° | 31° Windhoek: 18° | 28° Gobabis: 19° | 30° Henties Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 21km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 13:56, High tide: 07:46, Low Tide: 02:00, High tide: 20:14 Swakopmund: 15° | 16° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 13:54, High tide: 07:44, Low Tide: 02:00, High tide: 20:12 Walvis Bay: 15° | 22° Wind speed: 27km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 13:54, High tide: 07:43, Low Tide: 02:00, High tide: 20:11 Rehoboth: 18° | 30° Mariental: 21° | 33° Keetmanshoop: 20° | 35° Aranos: 20° | 33° Lüderitz: 14° | 23° Ariamsvlei: 21° | 36° Oranjemund: 14° | 20° Luanda: 25° | 26° Gaborone: 18° | 27° Lubumbashi: 17° | 33° Mbabane: 14° | 32° Maseru: 14° | 23° Antananarivo: 15° | 31° Lilongwe: 20° | 29° Maputo: 19° | 34° Windhoek: 18° | 28° Cape Town: 16° | 22° Durban: 18° | 27° Johannesburg: 17° | 26° Dar es Salaam: 25° | 31° Lusaka: 19° | 34° Harare: 17° | 32° Currency: GBP to NAD 22.61 | EUR to NAD 18.83 | CNY to NAD 2.44 | USD to NAD 17.5 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.25 | EGP to NAD 0.35 | KES to NAD 0.13 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.63 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.07 | RUB to NAD 0.18 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 132.9 | USD to AOA 909.05 | USD to BWP 13.4 | USD to EGP 49.25 | USD to KES 129.2 | USD to NGN 1680.41 | USD to ZAR 17.5 | USD to ZMW 27.15 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1878.29 Up +1.09% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 14487.67 Up +1.33% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 31267.47 Up +0.72% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 687.94/OZ DOWN -0.007 | Copper US$ 4.32/lb DOWN -0.0227 | Zinc US$ 2 993.80/T DOWN -2.24% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 74.83/BBP DOWN -0.0144 | Platinum US$ 980.90/OZ DOWN -0.0163 Sport results: Weather: Katima Mulilo: 24° | 36° Rundu: 19° | 33° Eenhana: 21° | 28° Oshakati: 21° | 27° Ruacana: 21° | 32° Tsumeb: 19° | 23° Otjiwarongo: 18° | 28° Omaruru: 19° | 31° Windhoek: 18° | 28° Gobabis: 19° | 30° Henties Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 21km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 13:56, High tide: 07:46, Low Tide: 02:00, High tide: 20:14 Swakopmund: 15° | 16° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 13:54, High tide: 07:44, Low Tide: 02:00, High tide: 20:12 Walvis Bay: 15° | 22° Wind speed: 27km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 13:54, High tide: 07:43, Low Tide: 02:00, High tide: 20:11 Rehoboth: 18° | 30° Mariental: 21° | 33° Keetmanshoop: 20° | 35° Aranos: 20° | 33° Lüderitz: 14° | 23° Ariamsvlei: 21° | 36° Oranjemund: 14° | 20° Luanda: 25° | 26° Gaborone: 18° | 27° Lubumbashi: 17° | 33° Mbabane: 14° | 32° Maseru: 14° | 23° Antananarivo: 15° | 31° Lilongwe: 20° | 29° Maputo: 19° | 34° Windhoek: 18° | 28° Cape Town: 16° | 22° Durban: 18° | 27° Johannesburg: 17° | 26° Dar es Salaam: 25° | 31° Lusaka: 19° | 34° Harare: 17° | 32° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 22.61 | EUR to NAD 18.83 | CNY to NAD 2.44 | USD to NAD 17.5 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.25 | EGP to NAD 0.35 | KES to NAD 0.13 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.63 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.07 | RUB to NAD 0.18 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 132.9 | USD to AOA 909.05 | USD to BWP 13.4 | USD to EGP 49.25 | USD to KES 129.2 | USD to NGN 1680.41 | USD to ZAR 17.5 | USD to ZMW 27.15 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1878.29 Up +1.09% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 14487.67 Up +1.33% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 31267.47 Up +0.72% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 687.94/OZ DOWN -0.007 | Copper US$ 4.32/lb DOWN -0.0227 | Zinc US$ 2 993.80/T DOWN -2.24% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 74.83/BBP DOWN -0.0144 | Platinum US$ 980.90/OZ DOWN -0.0163