Internship programme second chance for disadvantaged youth

Through an internship programme at Ace Marketing Solutions, chief executive Tangeni Nangobe is providing students with valuable work experience.

He also helps young people who previously made a living on the streets to find a purpose and place in society.

“We saw there were a number of young people who sat at home for more than two years after graduating without jobs because they didn’t have the work experience,” Nangobe says.

The internship programme launched this year, has eight candidates and it has helped Franklin Sebetwane (23) reintegrate into society after dropping out of school at a young age.

Sebetwane, who found himself hustling on the streets, says the programme offered him an opportunity to change.

“Being offered a job here has given me a way out of the streets, which no one else has done for me before,” he says.

As an orphan with a tumultuous upbringing, he was drawn to the camaraderie and kinship that Windhoek’s streets seemed to promise.

“I joined the streets when I was very young, so it got very scary with the things they make you do,” he says.

Sebetwane, who began by running errands and transitioned into a sales representative role, says although he still finds it challenging to fully adapt to his new role, the patience and support he has received from his mentors has motivated him.

The internship programme, Sebetwane says, has given him a chance to reclaim the years he lost and he hopes to return to school and become a business person one day.

Nangobe hopes the programme will not only cater to tertiary students needing internships for their academic requirements but also offer graduates a place to gain work experience and provide young people a chance to find their place within the community.

The internship programme caters to fields such as business administration, digital marketing, graphic design, media and communication and web development.

Nangobe says the interns are trained by the heads of each department and are given projects that nurture their skills in their respective fields. The interns have worked with Elite Medical Practice, Mutete Hibiscus Juice and Acme Construction.

Mamsey Museeu (18), a media and communication student at the University of Namibia (Unam), found it difficult to secure an internship in her field of study.

“I was going to fail this module at Unam if I couldn’t find any internship attachment,” she says.

Museeu says her time at Ace Marketing not only improved her confidence but also ignited her creativity, as the work environment encourages young people to voice their opinions.

“The company encourages us to express ourselves. If we don’t want something done a certain way, our seniors actually listen to us,” she says.