OFFERING A CHANCE FOR YOUTH SUCCESS

ELEVEN new graduates will get an opportunity to work in the fields of fisheries management, aquaculture, environmental science and other related fields, thanks to a graduate internship programme.

The companies active in South Africa’s deep-sea trawling industry have teamed up with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the conservation organisation WWF-South Africa to provide an opportunity for graduates .

The South African Deep-Sea Trawling Industry Association (SADSTIA) announced yesterday it would sponsor 11 paid and structured internships for the period April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020.

The association said the internships would form part of WWF’s highly successful graduate internship programme, which aims to provide a practical bridging experience for new graduates to make a career in the field of environmental sciences.

“Youth unemployment is one of the most serious challenges facing South Africa today, and the SADSTIA/DAFF/WWF internship programme provides us with an opportunity to make a real difference and assist government,” said SADSTIA chairperson Terence Brown.

Eight of 11 SADSTIA/DAFF/WWF interns will be placed at fishing companies and three will be placed at the fisheries branch of the DAFF.

The association said DAFF had played a key role in the establishment of the internship programme, and representatives of the department expressed their appreciation for the opportunity of working with SADSTIA and WWF.

SADSTIA research assistant Fisokuhle Mbatha, who joined SADSTIA as an intern in April 2017 and was appointed to a full-time position with the association as soon as her internship was complete, said: “I was offered many opportunities to network with professionals with expertise in marine science, and working alongside them has motivated me.” |