Namibian youth leaders accuse companies of exploiting interns

Youth leader Donna Gamatham says companies in Namibia have been exploiting interns, with some hiring new graduates for cheap labour.

Gamatham told Desert FM yesterday that the high unemployment rate is leaving young people with little bargaining power, forcing some to accept poor internship conditions because the alternative is unemployment.

“It shouldn’t simply mean getting cheap labour, because the ultimate goal should be to make that young person more employable,” she said.

She called for clearer standards around learning objectives, supervision, working hours, allowances, responsibilities and grievance mechanisms for interns.

National Students Organisation (Nanso) president Secilia Ambunda says graduates who complete their qualifications while interning should not simply be sent back into the job market, but should be considered for permanent employment where opportunities exist.

She says there should be a clear distinction between internships and professional employment, with a process in place to help qualified interns transition into permanent positions.

“I think there should be a line drawn between internships and professional employment, but there must also be an integration process where if an intern was interning somewhere and they’ve now obtained their qualifications, there must be an onus on the employer to consider or prioritise making this intern’s employment permanent,” Ambunda says.

She says graduates should not be left without opportunities after gaining qualifications while working as interns.

“I think it doesn’t help anything if a person can be employed as an intern and then upon obtaining their qualifications they are let go,” she says.

Ambunda says the government’s work-integrated learning policy should also be reviewed to strengthen the transition of interns into full-time employment.

“There must be some sort of absorbing process into full-time employment,” she says.

The comments come as concerns grow over graduates remaining in internships despite already holding qualifications, with some performing the same working hours and responsibilities as permanent employees while receiving significantly lower allowances.

An intern who has asked not to be named says graduates can struggle to obtain exemptions from internships despite having professional experience.

The intern asks why qualified graduates are expected to work the same eight-to-five hours as permanent employees while receiving allowances of N$3 000 or less.

“Why as an intern are you forced to go to work like eight to five but you’re being paid N$3 000 or N$2 860?” the intern asks.

The intern questions whether some internships provide meaningful training when interns work without proper supervision or clear professional development opportunities.

President of the Namibia Employers’ Federation (NEF) Elias Shikongo says obtaining a qualification does not automatically mean a graduate is ready to meet the practical and quality requirements of a particular job.

He says there can be a gap between academic training and workplace requirements, meaning an internship may sometimes need to be extended to give a graduate sufficient practical experience and confidence.

Shikongo says the length of an internship should not be the only consideration, but rather the intern’s competence and ability to meet the requirements of the position.

“The internship must have clear practical learning and performance objectives,” he says.

Shikongo says interns should receive coaching and mentoring, with their progress regularly assessed against the actual requirements and quality standards of the position.

An extension may be justified where genuine skills gaps remain, but it should have a defined duration and development plan, he says.

He says there should also be a distinction between mentoring and supervision, with mentoring aimed at developing a graduate’s skills, judgement and confidence, while supervision is part of normal workplace oversight.

“Once the person consistently performs the required work independently and to the necessary standard, the employer should no longer treat that person as an intern merely to avoid proper employment and remuneration,” Shikongo says.

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