The UK based qualification awarding body, Business Management Education Centre (BMEC) has set aside about K4.5million for a first phase of a project that would see 10 economically challenged technical and vocational students being supported during their internship.
Bergi: The initiative is meant to curb lack of internship opportunities
This is in a pact between BMEC and TEVET Authority signed on Friday in Blantyre. The targeted 10 are those TEVET interns coming from ultra-poor households, with girls cutting 70 percent of the cake.
Among others, BMEC will be paying the interns K100, 000 monthly for the entire six-months internship period in the pilot phase of the project. This is apart from supporting them with a starter pack tool box at the end of their academic journey.
According to BMEC Country Director Winston Bergi, the initiative was meant to curb lack of internship opportunities due to the fact that companies are not willing to take TEVET student because they cannot manage to pay them monthly allowance during internship.
“We believe this is in support of the major purpose of the TEVET Authority of contributing to human resource development through sustainable skills training and development to spearhead the country’s production and export-led social-economic growth,” said Bergi.
And in her remarks, TEVETA Regional Service Centre Manager for the South Conceptor Bamusi hailed the initiative saying it would go a long way in sustaining its human resource development efforts.
Bamusi: Internship is a professional learning experience
She said they expect huge benefits from the students because they will be comfortable wherever they are attached since resources are being provided to them.
“Internship is a professional learning experience that offers meaningful, practical work related to your field of study. I can only appeal to the would-be beneficiaries of this landmark project to make good use of this opportunity for their career exploration,” said Bamusi.
BMEC is an affiliate of Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (Ecam). The body provides Management programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels that are industry focussed. Its qualifications are aligned to the UK National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).
