India-bound interns start bootcamp

GOTHATAONE MOENG
Staff Writer | Sunday May 26, 2013 00:00

 

Speaking yesterday in Gaborone at the opening ceremony for a week-long bootcamp for Botswana interns destined for India, the minister said the graduates are expected to gain skills in areas such as IT integration, software development, value chain management, re-engineering analytics and research to risk management.

 The interns will work in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in India. 'It is our belief that these interns will be able to combine the learning they gained and the work experience to be gained in India to make a contribution to the economy as well as equip them to venture into businesses and entrepreneurship among others,' Batshu said.

The placing of the interns with Indian firms comes through a partnership between the Botswana government, Botho College and NIIT India.  

Batshu said this challenges all sectors of the economy, particularly the private sector, to come up with strategies of partnering with the government to ensure the development and transfer of skills to young Batswana. 

He said strategic linkages have to be strengthened between government and role players to ensure that all stakeholders come up with innovative ways of making graduates marketable. The managing director of Botho College, Sheela Raja Ram said the success of their endeavour to send the graduates to India shows that educational institutions need to extend themselves beyond just educating and graduating students.  She said her college realised the aim four years ago, at which point they started a Development Unit, which spearheaded the placing of the interns in India.  Ram cautioned the India-bound interns against misbehaving when they get to New Dehli, saying they must remember that they will be ambassadors of Botswana.

She warned the interns that the continued success of the programme rests with them, as their behaviour and work ethic will determine whether more graduates are sent to India. It is not the first time that NIIT India has partnered with a Southern African nation to place interns in India, she said. Already, South Africa has interns in Indian companies through NIIT.

Although 30 Botho College graduates will participate in the boot camp ahead of the India trip, only 12 will be selected to go at an unconfirmed date. The Indian High Commissioner to Botswana, Madhava Chandra attended the boot camp's official opening. Botswana plans to place interns in Malawi, Liberia and South Sudan.