NetHope Academy Internship Program Frequently Asked Questions

Transcription

1 NetHope Academy Internship Program Frequently Asked Questions Background What is the NetHope Academy Internship Program? The NetHope Academy Internship Program, initiated in Haiti in Fall 2010, connects young, computer literate, near and recent University graduates with opportunities to gain professional job skills and experience through internships at local NGOs and corporations. Through classroom education and internship placements with international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other host IT organizations, the NetHope Academy Internship Program prepares students in developing countries for full-time careers in the IT field while allowing them to directly participate in building their communities. Working in partnership with local organizations and educational institutions, NetHope identifies and screens promising college graduates or near-graduates, facilitates IT vocational courses, and coordinates in-country internships focused on desktop support, network administration and telecommunications. Coursework is augmented by extensive libraries of online curriculum, industry-standard certification programs, and on-the-job training. Interns receive daily mentoring, ongoing evaluation, job placement assistance and outplacement support. When was NetHope Academy Internship Program created? The NetHope Academy Internship Program began in Fall 2010 in Port Au Prince, Haiti with a goal of providing internships for 30 students. In March of 2011, 39 participants successfully graduated from the program after completing six-month long internships at host organizations, a series of technical and soft-skill educational courses and pursuing Microsoft Certified Desktop Technician certifications. What countries are you operating in? The internship program is currently operating in Haiti. In 2012, we will extend the program to the following countries: Haiti Kenya Tanzania Ghana Uganda Dominican Republic Rwanda South Sudan South Africa Nigeria Other countries are being evaluated at this time. What value does NetHope Academy Internship Program provide? The global population boom has created unprecedented challenges for educated youth in developing countries to effectively engage in the workforce. At the same time, a serious shortage of qualified IT professionals in these regions is limiting local companies, governments and NGOs from expanding and functioning at their highest potential in the world economy. IT skills are in high demand, generating 1

2 opportunities for youth to participate in core aspects of the economy if they can acquire real-world vocational skills and the relevant work experience to make them employable. The NetHope Academy Internship Program bridges the gap between unemployed educated youth and the market-driven IT needs and opportunities in developing regions. Built on best practices developed from capacity-building efforts in Africa, India, Haiti and Latin America, NetHope Academy Internship Program: Delivers 21st century training and IT skills that are market-relevant, practical and transferable; Provides internships and mentoring support for college-age youth to effectively transition from school to work, and succeed in the workplace Strengthens IT capacity of in-country INGOs and their field offices Bolsters the local workforce of skilled/certified IT professionals in developing regions How much does the program cost? The program costs approximately $5000 USD per intern. The program is funded through public private partnerships. Funded Cost Per Intern Microsoft and Cisco $2000 Accenture Foundation $2000 Host Orgs (mostly NGOs) $1000 The amount paid by the host orgs goes towards the stipend to be paid to the intern during the course of their 4 month internship. Program Operations Where do interns work? What is a Host Organization? A host organization is any non-governmental, public, private or governmental organization that agrees to host one or more interns during a cycle of the program. Host Organizations make a series of commitments designed to provide Interns with a professionally supportive, educational and growth focused work environment in exchange for hours of work a week. What are the benefits to Host Organizations for participating? Host organizations will benefit from having additional IT talent to help increase organizational capacity while also making a contribution to building the IT capacity in your country. Host organizations will also benefit by test driving talented young people that may one day get full time positions at their agencies. What is an IT Mentor? The role of an IT Mentor is an important part of the growth and development of Interns during the internship. With the support of the IT Mentor, a clear set of roles and responsibilities are identified for the Interns job role and performance reviews are conducted to assess the Intern s progress towards goals. While Interns can be expected to work relatively independently, IT Mentors provide much needed support from both a technical and professional development perspective. 2

3 When does the internship program run? The NetHope Academy Internship program generally runs in accordance with the calendars of our partner schools in the regions we re serving. By aligning with the school calendars, we can maximize access to resources like classroom space, computer labs and minimize conflict with student s school schedules and commitments. What type of roles do interns fill? Interns are most often placed at organizations that have an operational IT function that requires desktop support, maintenance, help desk, trouble shooting, hardware/software installations and entry level network administration. However, interns have a range of skills and interests in IT and have worked on IT innovation projects as well. In addition, some interns will be placed by host organizations in field programs supporting the use of IT in the delivery of services to end beneficiaries. What types of candidates are accepted into the program? What is the candidate profile? The best candidates for the program are recent university graduates or students in their final year of studying computer science, engineering and technical trades and have a strong command for communicating both verbally and in writing, in the perceived language of IT in their country The NetHope Academy Internship Program is open to all candidates who have a background and interest in the Information Technology field. We are targeting fourth year or final semester university students or recent university graduates. Those without university experience who have relevant IT experience are also welcome to apply. What are the benefits to interns for participating? By far the biggest benefit for the interns is the work experience they get. Only so much can be learned in the classroom. The program does provide a mix of classroom and online training as well in technical and nontechnical skills. Those selected to join the program start by gaining a base of 80 hours of education on technology and business topics including written and verbal communications, effective task management, customer service, desktop support, and network administration skills. Throughout the program, Interns are provided opportunities to work toward professional certifications offered by world class technology organizations such as Microsoft and Cisco. In addition, interns will receive access to over 200 hours of training that builds on the learning from their daily work environment and exposes them to the most relevant technologies in their field of work. The work experience is the most essential contribution to each Intern s development, and this provides them with background and experience needed to obtain professional certifications and full-time IT roles. At the end of the program, NetHope Academy Internship Program graduates are best positioned to secure full time jobs in their home country. 3

4 Funding/Partnerships What organizations have participated in NetHope Academy Internship Program so far? Canadian Red Cross Catholic Relief Services CHF International Concern Habitat for Humanity Digicel Fonkoze HTG/GaMa International Rescue Committee Mercy Corps MultiLink Oxfam Voila Relief International Save the Children SOS Childrens Village World Food Programme World Health Organization World Vision How is the program funded and sustained? The NetHope Academy Internship program has been funded by generous grants from Voila Foundation (a Haitian non-profit organization dedicated to rebuilding human and economic resources in Haiti), Accenture Development Partnerships and Accenture Foundation. In addition, the support by partners such as Microsoft and Cisco for educational resources and local, in-country partners who have provided meeting space, computer labs and instructors has also been essential. How does NetHope leverage its Member Organizations for this program? NetHope member organizations currently make up the majority of Host Organizations. They also participate in helping shape program expansion, scalability and sustainability direction. What are the costs to Host Organizations to participate? At this time, the financial costs for Host Organizations are limited to the payment of a monthly stipend to interns estimated to be $250 a month for four months). For those host organizations requiring interns to work in remote locations, assistance with housing, periodic travel home and an additional stipend amount are recommended. Host Organizations also have a responsibility to provide an IT Mentor IT Mentor to participate in the program and support the Interns throughout the duration of the program. IT Mentors are current employees of the host organization who are serving their organization in an IT capacity and who will supervise as well as provide coaching and support to Interns. 4

5 Success/Impact What are the goals of the program and how is the impact of the program measured? NetHope Academy aims to develop these young people so that they can become employable and build good habits for success as an IT professional. To that end, the NetHope Academy focuses on developing both soft skills and technical skills during the internship. Host organizations (i.e. those that take on interns) are key to the success of the program as they provide the real world experiences and mentorship that the Interns can t get in the classroom. NetHope s goal is that 80% or more of the NetHope Academy Graduates get full time employment in the IT sector within 3 months of completing the program or upon graduation from university. What are your current success rates? Currently, 80% of the participants in our Fall 2010 program have acquired full time jobs. How do the lives of participants change after completing the program? Upon completion of the program, interns have gained valuable work experience, technology education, and at least one Microsoft Certification. In addition, significant financial benefits result from our intern s ability to obtain jobs after the program. In Haiti, the average annual income is approximately $1900 per year. On average, our interns who have obtained jobs after the program have commanded incomes of approximately $1200 per month or over $14,000 per year. Perhaps more importantly, students who complete the NetHope Academy Internship Program have hope restored to their lives. They are able to actively pursue a professional livelihood and develop a connection to a network of professionals in the IT community that will prove invaluable over a lifetime. Interns Who can apply for the program? The NetHope Academy Internship Program is open to all candidates who have a background and interest in the Information Technology field. We are targeting fourth year or final semester university students or recent university graduates. Those without university experience who have relevant IT experience are also welcome to apply. How are candidates screened? After submitting an initial application, top candidates receive an invitation to participate in an interview with local technology professionals and an online technical assessment. The most impressive candidates (usually about 10% of the initial applicants) will receive offers for the program. How many participants have you had to date? In our Fall 2010 program, we supported 39 interns in Haiti. In Fall 2011 we will enroll another 30 in Haiti. What is the profile of the perfect candidate? The best candidates for the program are recent university graduates or students in their final year of studying computer science, engineering and technical trades and have a strong command for communicating both verbally and in writing, in the perceived language of IT in their country 5

6 The NetHope Academy Internship Program is open to all candidates who have a background and interest in the Information Technology field. We are targeting fourth year or final semester university students or recent university graduates. Those without university experience who have relevant IT experience are also welcome to apply. What are the roles/responsibilities interns perform on the job? Interns most often perform operational IT support roles such as desktop support, software maintenance, help desk, trouble shooting, hardware/software installations and network services. However, interns have a range of skills, curiosities and interests in IT so we invite Host Organizations to share with us what type of projects they have so we can find the best fit. Interns in Haiti have worked on IT innovation projects. How is support provided to interns during their internship? Each intern is provide an IT Mentor. Usually their IT Mentor is also their direct supervisor. Who is responsible for ensuring interns acquire a full time job after the internship? Interns will be well positioned and more highly marketable to obtain a job once they have had work experience through the NetHope Academy Internship Program. It is the intern s responsibility to pursue job opportunities. Host organizations who are happy with their intern s performance and have available job opportunities are encouraged to extend offers to their interns at the end of the internship. We currently have interns working for our organization. Can they be a part of your program? On a case by case basis, we will determine if a partnership in this manner is feasible. However, generally we must limit the size of each intern class due to limited instructional resources and our goals to cultivate a strong and powerful community among the interns. Future How many internships opportunities do you plan to create in the next year? Two to Five years? NetHope Academy hopes to expand to 500 interns in 2012 and 1000 interns over the next 3 years, globally. What are your plans to make this program sustainable? The Accenture Foundation and Accenture Development Partnerships have provided tremendous in kind support and resources towards our efforts to develop sustainable, scalable learning resources and program operations. Financial sustainability is being approached through the development of an intern give back program that requires interns to pay back approximately 50% of the costs necessary to deliver the program within 1 year of obtaining full time employment. What countries are you considering for your expansion? We have not finalized decisions, but are considering countries in West, East and Southern Africa. Efforts to expand to Latin America and South Asia will also be considered in

7 What factors are you considering for your expansion? We will consider locations where NetHope Members have a high presence and where our implementation partners such as Accenture, Microsoft, Cisco and others have projects that may lead to a high demand for interns. Who do I contact for more information or to sign-up? Contact Global Program Director Frank Schott (frankschott@nethope.org) or NetHope Internship Academy Program Manager Opokua Oduro (opokua.oduro@nethope.org) for more information. 7