IN T ERNSHIP S
Can virtual internships offer a competitive edge? On-the-job training is vital for prospective employees hoping to work at a top company in a competitive environment. Virtual internships take this to the next level, offering South Africans valuable exposure to international companies, writes ANÉL LEWIS
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and by the next intake, over 500 students will have completed the programme in the short time it has been running. “Students are joining these internships to explore their interests, gain practical experience and build extracurriculars related to their field of interest,” says Pretorius. The programme is already yielding positive outcomes, with Pretorius saying that many of the students have gone on to study with Crimson, or are already Crimson students. These Crimson alumni have applied to study at top universities or landed coveted positions at Google, Tesla, Goldman Sachs and other leading global companies. “We have seen South African students take an active leadership role in their groups, grow in confidence through working in their global teams, win the best presentation in their cohort, and challenge themselves to create a high quality of work in their pitches and presentations.”
t’s often said children especially with well-known, in Grades 10 and world-leading companies like 11 are too young to make Uber, are very popular.” She subject choices that will says that to maintain high lay the foundation for their standards and ensure students future careers. “Students can complete the programme, in high school have limited students must apply, and those opportunities to learn what who are unlikely to be a good fit careers suit them, and this are turned away. continues into university,” says Fifty students are selected Rebecca Pretorius, South to take part in each cohort, Rebecca Pretorius Africa country manager at Crimson Education. Cognisant of the need for more practical training even before learners matriculate, – REBECCA PRETORIUS Crimson Education launched the Crimson Careers Internship Programme in 2021 to offer remote and global work experience to students aged 14–19 years. EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS The month-long programme runs as an Software development has been identified as one extracurricular activity, with learning and work of South Africa’s scarce skills. Jessica Hawkey, sessions taking place over weekends. Students managing director at redAcademy, says: “There is a have access to business mentors from top mismatch in the skills and opportunities available.” Fortune 500 companies. By partnering with Teaching from static content has become outdated. global companies like Uber, HSBC, PwC and “Software and software development is changing Y-Combinator start-ups, these students can at such a rapid pace that tertiary institutions’ accelerate their career development and early content and teachings are far removed from what is work experience, explains Pretorius. happening in the live working environment,” Pretorius says it is “virtually impossible” for she says. students to secure worthwhile work experience George Asamani, business development lead: Jessica Hawkey while in high school. So often, the first time they Africa, for the Project Management Institute gain any work experience is at university when (PMI), says the IT industry can help address this they are already locked into a degree. shortage by embracing citizen developers. “PMI believes that structured citizen development programmes open the IT development field to everyone including women.” It allows people without formal IT qualifications LEARNING PRACTICAL SKILLS to build applications through cloud-based, low-code/no-code “We built Crimson Careers to create a platforms. PMI’s partner universities get free access to Citizen foundation for students to learn practical skills Developer courseware. At present, there are no South African in a safe, virtual environment.” As part of their partner universities. course, students have first-hand experience Hawkey says the redAcademy was designed to fast-track of different career paths while working at a young people’s software development careers. Incubated out of company, they may see their recommendations enterprise retail software development company redPanda implemented by the company, and they Software, redAcademy offers matriculants experiential are able to work with people from different learning and exposure to live client projects. This includes countries. At the end of the course, they receive ongoing support and mentorship from those in software a reference letter for future university and developer roles so that these students enter the workplace job applications. able to perform effectively immediately. There has been a “high level of interest” in the programme, says Pretorius. “Internships,
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“STUDENTS ARE JOINING THESE INTERNSHIPS TO EXPLORE THEIR INTERESTS, GAIN PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE AND BUILD EXTRACURRICULARS RELATED TO THEIR FIELD OF INTEREST.”
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