By: Sisanda Mtana – HR & Training Intern
July marked the start of my journey with IkamvaYouth as Human Resource and Training (HR&T) Intern on the FirstJob Partner Programme, which is an initiative of the FirstRand Bank Limited.
The FirstJob Partner Programme has been operating in rural and urban areas and I have joined the fourth cohort of interns. The programme provides work experience to South African youth between 18 and 34 years of age that have never previously been in formal employment.We are provided with experiences in a specific field of interest including: education, human resources, training, finance and business, information and technology, as well as arts and culture. I am excited to be part of the programme.
During my induction week, we learnt about the FirstRand Group and their procedures, terms and conditions, what they offer their interns, financial literacy, business communication and entrepreneurship. During the entrepreneurship session, interns formed groups and each group was required to develop and present a business idea. The group that I was a member of, called Writers World, jointly felt that we learnt so much from the facilitators who opened up our minds to entrepreneurship with their personal experiences. We believe that with a little support, we are able to start new business ventures. Interns from all the other host organisations mentioned that they are thankful for the induction, they learnt so much, starting from budget workshop to the entrepreneurship workshop.
Through IkamvaYouth’s induction process I learnt more about the organisation, their values and mission and what I am required to do for the organisation.
As a HR&T Intern I am still navigating my way, trying to learn more about my role and putting my theoretical human resources knowledge into practice. The few days that I have been at Ikamva House have been heart-warming. Everyone is friendly and makes me feel at home and I am excited to join the team. In my opinion, there is nothing better than a positive workplace environment.
I am also excited to meet my Learner Support Coach. FirstRand allocates each intern a Learner Support Coach, who will provide psychosocial support and together with the intern create a Personal Development Plan (PDP) aligned to the job description of the intern and skill gaps that exist. This is meant to track development and growth in the world.
I am really thankful and very excited for this opportunity, it will help me to gain more experience and knowledge about human resources and training. The mere interaction during the induction process was an amazing experience and as interns it felt as if we had become a family.
Lloyd Lungu