10 young Batswana get internships

GABORONE - Botswana International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) has embarked on a scheme to groom young Batswana in the financial and Information Communication Technology fields.

The programme started in earnest last week with the announcement of 10 internships with Botswana-based companies.

Announcing the receipients during a career fair, IFSC marketing executive Tebatso Lekalake said Nikki Chigodora would start a six-month internship at Cyberplex-Africa today.

She said Refilwe Sebego would be attached to the Imara Capital next January while Thuto Budulala would go to RPC Data.

Itumeleng Letsididi would be attached to the Kingdom Bank and Masego Modisenyane at African Alliance.

Segametsi Raletsatsi, Thapelo Dintwa, Matshidiso Kalake, Maxwell Mosinyi and Pulafela Isaacs would be at Enterprise Banking, EOH KPMG Consulting, AON Risk Management, Seed Co and Botswana IFSC respectively. As for the African Banking Corporation, the intern is to be announced and is currently under evaluation. All the companies involved are local.

Lekalake said at the career fair the IFSC launched an internship programme as it was a practice in countries such as the United States of America (US) and South Africa.

The programme, according to the executive, gives young qualifying Batswana an opportunity for short-term educational programmes for them to gain exposure and experience in the financial services and Information, Communications Technology (ICT) sectors.

She expressed hope that in subsequent years the programme would grow, thus creating an enabling environment to the private sector and IFSC companies to contribute to enlarging the experience and exposure of young Batswana.

Lekalake said these would in turn make interns to be more marketable and highly competitive in the job market. She added that recipients would work in their host companies for varying duration of which the minimum was a month and would be paid allowances.

In some instances, she explained, they can be taken on for permanent employment but the company was not obliged to do so.

"The recipients were selected based on the requirements of each company.

They will be invited to next year's IFSC Career Fair for presentation of their experiences." The IFSC has also launched a CV database where job-seekers in the financial services sector can post their CVs, Lekalake explained.

The programme caters for students, graduates, and professionals in Botswana. BOPA