Poiyah Media celebrates over 1 000 days in office
Poiyah Media recently celebrated 1 000 days in business; it welcomed its sixth group of interns to its public relations agency. Since its inception, Poiyah Media not only focuses on boosting small-medium enterprises through their public relations (PR) but also prepares its interns for the corporate world.
With close to 40 interns since its inception, under the mentorship of its founder Ilke Platt, over twenty clients have been served with a model that has worked through a hands-on learning approach. Poiyah Media has grown and developed considerably and this was made evident through its nomination for the global start-up award in 2019, being awarded as the Best Media Partner in Namibia.
To date, Poiyah Media continues to open its doors for 3rd and final year NUST (Namibia University of Science and Technology), Unam (University of Namibia), College of the Arts and IUM (International University Management) students, and it recently signed its Memorandum of Understanding with NUST for a twelve-month partnership through its internship programs.
Former interns with Poiyah mentioned that their experience has been an exciting, amazing learning curve and one that has changed their perception about what public relations is about.
Their experience has allowed them to be more competitive in the workforce and has given them an added advantage. Those who are now in the communications space, such as Shoki Kandjimi, who in 2019 started his role as an information specialist at Ministry of Information Communication and Technology, alongside Evangeline Nicanor, as well as Victoria Petrus, Claudine Narimas, Mariam Ananias, Khadijah Mouton, amongst many more, in various institutions within the public relations and communications departments.
Poiyah Media’s latest recruitment in the corporate world includes Frieda Lukas, who will commence her new role at the United Nations Development Program in November
as its communications officer. The journey of six months of practical work, serving clients and learning on the job has never been easy – and with the pandemic, its founder highlighted challenges but more opportunities.
“This intake was unique because of the particular circumstances under which they were recruited. For the first time, virtual interviews were conducted and the first meeting was conducted virtually.
Apart from a few challenges, this pandemic has allowed our new working model to be the new norm. We are grateful that finally, many can appreciate that working from home or the comfort of any place can equally deliver the same results. It doesn’t always have to be about fancy office space, but delivering beyond the expectation of the client. Working to maintain public relations during a global pandemic
is not a walk through the park, but the team is ready to continue taking Poiyah Media to greater heights and making it their own,” Platt said.
With over one hundred applications received for its latest internship program, shortlisted candidates were interviewed and selected based on various criteria that were set for its selection process, with some requirements for applicants to be a PR, English, media, marketing or communications third or final year student from any Namibian tertiary institution. The interns, who have already hit the ground running, are well-positioned to gain work experience as well as strategic partnership with potential future employers.
This application process has run successfully over the past three years and has become a highly sought-after internship programme.