NDLAMBE Municipality has acquired the services of 25 new interns to assist the various departments in a year-long programme that will help them develop skills and competencies and prepare them for the future.
With an ever increasing number of college and university graduates unable to find work, the South African Council for Graduates Cooperative (SACGC) has selected the former students to participate in the programme. It will provide work experience and encourage entrepreneurialism.
“Our intention is to encourage university and college graduates who have been unsuccessful in finding work by providing work experience and develop competent entrepreneurship in both the public and private sectors,” said SACGC executive chairman Thamsanqa Maqubela.
He went on to say that the goals of the programme are for at least 30% of the interns to be retained by the municipality, 25% gravitating to own their own businesses, 25% to be absorbed by the marketplace and the rest to go back to college or university to study further.
The new batch of interns will be deployed throughout the municipality, assisting in its various functions and, over the year, learning and contributing to its betterment. Each intern will receive a monthly stipend of R2 500 to cover living expenses. This will be provided directly by SACGC.
SACGC is a cooperative that relies on external funding in order to function. Such funds are received from the various Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) including chemical and industrial, construction, services and various others. There is also top-up funding from government and the private sector, contributions from affiliation fees, SACGC’s own business toolbox innovation and work readiness programmes.
“We are working on increasing the number of students to 50 within the Ndlambe Municipality, and a total of 5 000 students a year country-wide,” said Maqubela.
Municipal spokesman Cecil Mbolekwa said he was pleased and that the municipality would benefit greatly from the new intake of interns.
“There are costs to the municipality, such as office space, consumables and the like. But overall, we believe that this initiative will enhance the municipality’s ability to deliver services,” he said.
