The biggest life insurance company in Africa, Sanlam Namibia, has accorded 12 university students with internship opportunities, giving them hope in realising their dreams of climbing the corporate ladder.
The interns are from the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) as well as the University of Namibia (Unam), studying various courses ranging from business management, mathematics, accounting, communication, journalism, law and economics.
Unam law student Alina Ndilimeke Shikongo told Youth Cornerthat being able to intern at a company as big and influential as Sanlam is an experience of a lifetime. She will be assisting in the compliance department.
“The skills and expertise I’m gaining from this opportunity are vital in fostering my dreams of one day working in the corporate world. The objectives of Sanlam align very well with my goals, and I am fortunate enough to be a part of this team,” she expressed.
The 21-year-old stated that the exposure will provide practical skills and experience that cannot be taught in a lecture hall or classrooms. “I hope to learn about the corporate legal sphere in our country, which is not really at the forefront of our practical studies at school.
I want to major in corporate law, and the Sanlam Internship Programme offers a great foundation for this,” shared Shikongo.
NUST communications major Malilo Munyandi (23) said this internship opportunity will give him a chance to practice the theoretical knowledge in the corporate world.
Munyandi, who has been robed into the marketing department, said his tasks mainly focus on data collection, data recording and organisation. Among others, he deals with meeting documentation, advertising and the marketing of products and services, internal and external communications of various nature, text production used in organisational communication like emails, memos, short reports, media analysis, press releases, and research.
The enthusiastic young man encouraged other institutions and companies to provide internships for final-year students to enable them to get professional knowledge and skills that may help them in their future endeavours.
“Plus, that’s the only way they could graduate in their specified study fields.”
In the admin hub is Unam accounting student Cindy Peterson (21), who said being part of this cohort is an honour.
“Sanlam Namibia received about 1 300 internship applications, so I feel very privileged to be one of the 12 successful candidates chosen by Sanlam Namibia,” she told Youth Corner.
“I aim to gain valuable work experience, develop and refine skills, and network with professionals in the field.”
Peterson added that the internship opportunity is extremely important to her because it is the foundation in preparing students for the workforce, and providing opportunities after graduation.
Since its inception, 30 students have benefited from this programme, with some even landing full-time employment at Sanlam and various other companies around the country.