The Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) organised a virtual orientation programme for shortlisted applicants of its Student Industry Partnership Programme – 2020/2021. The orientation programme was held on the 4^th of November, 2021.

Mr. Bright Kwaku Avuglah, the Assistant Registrar of the Institute, moderated the virtual event. He welcomed the students and briefed them on the Student Industry Partnership Programme (SIPP). He informed the students that a well-resourced human resource specialist, in the person of Mr. John Appiah, a lead consultant at A-League consult, had been invited to orient them on essential skills needed to be successful in the world of work.

Mr. Avuglah then invited Prof. George Oduro Nkansah, Director of the Institute to address the forum.  In his welcome address, Prof. Nkansah indicated that the students’ internship programme had been put together by the IAST and the Global Entrepreneurship Network – Ghana (GEN-G) to build the capacity of students and to equip them with the necessary skills set needed to excel on the job market. He added that the Institute’s mandate is to foster academic-industry relationships for the transfer of knowledge, technology and innovation by leveraging on the University’s internal resources to address societal challenges. He added that in performing this mandate, the Institute had initiated several programmes that are geared towards bridging the academia-industry gap and one of such programmes was the SIPP. The SIPP, according to Prof. Nkansah, aims at recruiting University of Ghana students into internships to enable them to learn on the job as well as experiential learning. He stated that this year about one hundred (100) students had been shortlisted to do their internship in various industries across the country. He added that the orientation was designed to prepare students on the ethical requirements for the world of work and, therefore, entreated all of them to pay attention to the resource person as they prepare for the job market. He wished them well at the end of his submission.

Mr. John Appiah thanked the Director for his presentation and welcomed the students to the session themed “Who is an Excellent Intern”. Mr. Appiah started his presentation by admonishing the students to avoid the situation where they complete internship programmes without learning or acquiring any skills, as is the case for many students. He shared his educational background and working experiences, from his days as a National Service Personnel through working in the media space and finally as a Communication Manager at the British High Commission before setting up his consulting firm, A-League consultancy. He noted that in the course of working with interns he had observed two key factors that make one an excellent intern, these are:

  an intern who has the mindset of going to learn on the job;

an intern who is willing to contribute to the goals of the organisation he /she is interning with.

          Mr. John Appiah, the facilitator of the orientation

These are very important to excel during an internship, especially contributing to activities and sharing ideas. He added that with this, the organisations develop good memories of such interns and are always willing to retain them after the internship or upon completion of school. He added that the correct mindset of interns is to stop seeing themselves as students but rather as employees who are there to acquire practical skills which are not taught in the classroom and to contribute to the development of the company. He urged students to take part in activities of the organisation, and to apply the relevant things learnt in relation to the theoretical knowledge acquired in the lecture rooms. He emphasized that not all organisations pay for internships but some will give them transportation allowances or feeding allowances.

He also highlighted some basic things to be done to adequately prepare students for internships. These are:

Read a lot about the organisation through Google, newsletters. Learn more about the business, what the Organisation is into, their core values, the CEO and other heads. Ask relevant questions about the Organisation.

Exhibit a high sense of professionalism, be on time to work always.

Present yourself appropriately by dressing professionally to work. Be well-groomed and tidy.

Be polite and courteous

Avoid toxic relationships at the workplace, for example, amorous relationships with work colleagues or superiors.

Develop effective communication skills such as listening and observing. Improve public speaking and presentation skills, report writing as well as proposal and minutes writing skills.

The need to understand the dynamics of office politics.

During the Questions and Answers (Q&A) session, a student asked how an intern can be retained at the Organisation after the end of the internship. Mr. Appiah referred to his earlier submissions that this depended on the interns’ commitment to the organisation and how they comported themselves as interns. He added that when you are hardworking, contributing to the development of the company, the organisation will want to work with you and, therefore, contact you after your internship.

A student wanted to know how to deal with supervisors who would want to send interns on personal and non-work related errands. According to Mr. Appiah, this normally depends on how interns carry themselves around and their mindset at the office. If interns see themselves as employees, then people will not be sending them on such errands.

Dr. Sintim, a Research Fellow at the IAST, added that the programme is structured in a way that enables supervisors to evaluate the interns on their work and contribution to the company. He, therefore, assured the students that such incidence will be most unlikely.

A question was asked about interning in an organisation whose business is not related to a student’s field of interest. Mr. Appiah replied that Dr. Sintim and his team will make sure students are sent to organisations related to their field of study to enable them to learn and apply the necessary skills. He, however, indicated that in today’s working world, one does not necessarily need to be placed in an organisation related to the student’s field of study. He used himself as an example by saying that though he is not a medical person or a pharmacist, yet he is currently managing a medical facility.

Questions were also asked about the best ways to end an internship, to which Mr. Appiah answered that the intern can write an appreciation letter to the organisation for the opportunity offered to work there.

In conclusion, the Director of the Institute, thanked Mr. Appiah for a successful presentation and thanked students for participating in the programme. He advised interns to be punctual at their workplace, to never leave the workplace before the official closing time and most importantly, to dress appropriately. He wished the interns well during their internships and the event successfully came to an end.