2017-12-18Staff Report 2 Staff Reporter Windhoek-Headway Consulting, a Namibian company founded in 2011, and the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST) recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to facilitate work-integrated learning (WIL) for NUST students. WIL exposes young people pursuing tertiary education to the workplace and internships. Organisations like Headway Consulting are fulfilling their duty as good corporate citizens and creating work placement opportunities for several students of NUST. The purpose of the WIL programme is for students to undertake an internship that enables them to apply theoretical knowledge gained from their studies in a practical setting. In Namibia, specifically, tertiary students have limited options when it comes to internship opportunities even though it is an academic requirement during their final year of studies before obtaining their qualification. Another concern is that most graduates lack real world experience, as they have not been exposed to work integrated learning. Headway Consulting, based in Windhoek and a truly Namibian company, would provide a WIL placement for several students, lasting a minimum of three to six months for the successful students. The previous agreement between the parties was signed in 2014 when NUST was still known as Polytechnic of Namibia. A number of students were placed with the company through this agreement, and some of them were eventually permanently employed after completing the WIL. The company provides information technology (IT) consultancy services to the corporate world, offering advisory services in IT governance in accordance with international best practise frameworks such as Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies (COBIT) and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). Compliancy has become essential for companies if they want to successfully operate and or be considered for certain tenders and contracts. Headway is keenly aware that to offer its clients the best professional and expert advice, it needs to develop these skills and the people itself. NUST is the perfect partner for Headway in providing work integrated learning opportunities to students, specifically those studying towards a degree in Business Computing. Jan Coetzee, Managing Director of Headway Consulting, said: “With an ever evolving technological landscape, we see the need for graduates to be able to hit the ground running when it comes to their job performance. Headway thinks it is essential that we actively participate in this programme to ensure Namibia has local capable resources to contribute to the development of Namibia with tailor-made ICT solutions.” 2017-12-18Staff Report 2
