Enterprise

State urged to incentivize private sector to be able to absorb more scholars for internships

NTInternship

One of the things to consider needs to be the exposure you will get. There are places where interns are only used as free labour and kept away from learning. FILE PHOTO | SHUTTERSTOCK

In line with the competency-based curriculum, which seeks to produce scholars with the skills needed for the evolving job market, government has been urged to incentivize the private sector to be able to take in more university students on internship basis.

Creating an enabling environment for private firms to operate in could for instance enable them to absorb more students for internship programs, and train them on the kind of practical skills that are needed, so that once they complete school, they are readily absorbed into the job market.

“As we will appreciate, the private sector operates to make a profit at least, and for them to take in students for internships, it means they are dedicating some resources to support these students to learn more or less at the expense of what they would be doing to generate a profit for themselves,” noted Prof Thomas Senaji, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academics, Student Affairs and Research at The East African University (TEAU).

The scholar, who is also a Digitalization Expert with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, noted that this kind of synergy will enable learners to gain new skills on areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, robotics, internet of things, virtual reality, programming, cyber security and data protection, which is what the modern workspace is looking for.

“These areas are very important because they have got implications on all sectors. For example, the areas of internet of things and machine learning, within the framework of artificial intelligence, have got implications on the transport sector, medical field, agriculture, public administration and manufacturing,” noted Prof Senaji.

He says that though some jobs will actually be eliminated by digital technologies, the youth who will be equipped with digital skills will still be able to find gainful employment, and therefore any form of education should now emphasize digital skills.

The East African University for instance encourages students in the school of computer science and information technology, to develop mobile applications which can be used practically in the industry.

“We acknowledge the fact that digital infrastructure and facilities are still developing in Africa, as opposed to other continents such as Asia where connection to the internet is very high averaging at almost 66 percent, where as in Africa it is only 40 percent, but that notwithstanding, the education system should emphasize digital skills, online working, entrepreneurship and innovation in the digital space,” noted Prof Senaji.

In a world of work that is constantly evolving, and where trainers play a critical role in ensuring that once scholars complete their studies, they are quickly absorbed into the job market, Prof. Senaji further challenged institutions of higher learning to employ professors who have industry experience, so that they can deliver lectures that focus on what is needed in the industry.

“Because a lot of institutions of higher learning appoint trainers based on their academic performance, and not experience working in the given field, there exists a huge mismatch between the skills that scholars are graduating with from the university and the skills that industry is looking for,” noted Prof Senaji.

He also called on the government to create an enabling environment for research and innovation to take place by supporting research institutions with the necessary resources and developing appropriate infrastructure.

“Investing in innovation will not only create job opportunities for the youth, but it will also create wealth for the country as it will be able to export more and import less,” noted Prof Senaji.