Providing learning opportunities for the job market

JUSTISIA SHIPENA
JUSTICIA SHIPENA



On 2 August, Sanlam Namibia took in eight students from the University of Namibia (Unam), University of Science and Technology (Nust) and International University of Management (IUM) as interns.

Sanlam says its internship programme was created to cultivate and nurture skills development, to assist students to acquire the necessary work experience and supplement their theoretical knowledge with practical work experience, as well as to create a conducive environment for the company’s current Wealthsmiths to pass on their expertise to the next generation of Wealthsmiths.

The internship will run for three months and the students will be placed within different department including marketing, finance, law, human resources, client service and investments, where they will be exposed to the ins and outs of these departments. The majority of students are required to undergo an internship or experiential learning before they can graduate and this programme will assist them with that.

Speaking at the event, the education director for the Khomas Region, Gerard Vries, urged the interns to make use of the opportunity to the best of their ability and to become ambassadors of change. He said what the current interns do will determine how Sanlam will recruit future interns.

Sanlam Group CEO Tertius Stears said an internship programme allows corporate companies to equip young people with the skills they need to embark on their careers and ensures they are well prepared for the job market.

“These students are the pioneers of this programme and we have high expectations of them to set the standard for many more students to join our institution through this programme,” he said.

Stears also mentioned that the next intake of students for the internship programme will be early next year.

“This means that on a bi-annual basis Sanlam will afford a few students the opportunity of an internship,” he said.

He said Sanlam received 700 applications for internships, showing that students are hungry for opportunities and are eager to learn.

Stears wished the interns an exciting journey and urged them to make good use of the opportunities afforded to them.