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UTG Students Union poised to send more students on internship

Jun 29, 2016, 2:13 PM

The executive council of the University of The Gambia Students Union (UTGSU) is rigorously working to consolidate the summer internship initiative that was started by their predecessor.

The 15th executive council, being led by Ansumana B Bojang as president, has already sent a sizeable number of students on internships to institutions such as Takaful Insurance Company, Medical Research Council, Ministry of Higher Education, UTG, Gambia Revenue Authority, Gambia Ports Authority, NAWEC, QCell and Africell. 

The internship targets students in their third and fourth years across all the schools of the UTG and it is under the Office of the UTGSU Vice President.  

President Bojang said his council is lobbying and negotiating with more institutions both in the public and private sectors so that they can be accepting UTG students on internship during the summer vacation which last more than three months.

The demand for the internship is high, Bojang said calling on more institutions to be accepting the interns and imploring those already accepting to increase the number they take.

The internship initiative is meant to engage students during the long vacation to acquire job-related skills so as to increase their chances of employment after their university programme. 

“It is a process for students to learn the practical of job related matters because most of the time after completion of university, students are asked for job experience when they apply for employment and that put them in a disadvantaged position,” UTGSU President said.  “But now the internship will give them that experience even before they fully get into the labour market.” 

He said the internships helps to meaningfully and productively engage students who would have been bored sitting at home for about four months of the summer holiday