Some 92 young people are to gain real-world work experience in public service from Monday when they join an internship programme by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Information and the Office of the Attorney General.
At a press briefing on Friday at the Barbados Postal Service to welcome the interns into the Summer Internship Programme, Minister of Home Affairs and Information Gregory Nicholls said he was encouraged to continue the programme started by former home affairs minister Wilfred Abrahams, who is now the attorney general.
Minister of Home Affairs and Information Gregory Nicholls. (Photo Credit: Lourianne Graham/Barbados TODAY)
Nicholls said: “There are about 15 or 16 different departments under the Ministry of Home Affairs, and in coming into the ministry, one of the first things he indicated to me to do was to continue this program and we were able to work with his team to make sure that we can continue the programme across the departments.”
He described the summer internship as an opportunity for young people to broaden their horizons and gain practical public service experience:
“Today is about opportunity, opportunity of opening doors, opportunity of broadening horizons and providing practical introduction to the world of work in public service in Barbados. This is about investing in what I’ve consistently said from this podium and other podiums, our most treasured resource, which is our young people.”
Beginning on Monday, interns will be placed across several departments and agencies, including the Probation Department, Immigration Department, Barbados Postal Service, Government Printery, Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, Government Information Service, National Council on Substance Abuse, Barbados Meteorological Services, Department of Emergency Management, Barbados Prison Service, Government Industrial Schools and the Barbados Broadcasting Authority.
Nicholls advised the interns to embrace opportunities, ask questions and respect their superiors and colleagues:
“Do not see yourselves as summer workers; see yourselves as learners, as explorers, and as future leaders. Be curious, ask questions respectfully, of course. Observe, seek to understand not only what is done, but why it is done. Every task, no matter how small it may be, offers a valuable lesson.”
He highlighted the importance of resilience, robustness and respect as key qualities of interns:
“There are moments when you encounter challenges. You’ll be asked to perform tasks that you have never done before, you may make mistakes and you may feel uncertain at times, that is perfectly normal. Growth often occurs when we step outside of our comfort zones.
“Second attribute is robustness; by this I mean approaching your responsibilities with strength of character, discipline, professionalism, and determination. Be dependable, be punctual, take pride in your work. Demonstrate initiative so that you can be trusted to complete the task and meet expectations.”
The minister informed the interns that “whatever path you choose, our nation will need your energy, your creativity, and your integrity and vision”.
Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams explained that the programme helps identify gaps that are expected of young people to know but no one teaches them, such as dress, workplace etiquette, communication and professionalism.
Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams. (Photo Credit: Lourianne Graham/Barbados TODAY)
He highlighted that the departments where interns are placed may later become their employers when they are in need of staff:
“You’d be surprised to know that out of our internship program, a number of persons have ended up working in the same departments that they interned in.”
He gave the example of interns at the Department of Emergency Management who gained first-hand disaster response experience during Hurricane Beryl:
“They got to learn about the emergency calls; they’ve got to learn about the people panicking, they got to learn about what goes into shutdown…so this is not just something to spend the time on in the summer. We want to teach you about life, we want to teach you about work.”
The attorney general encouraged parents to discuss the experiences and challenges with their children to become part of the full experience.
The programme has been seen as a transformative experience for young people moving from a student to a young adult mindset, he said:
“I have had a number of young people from my constituency who have come through our internship programme, they went in raw, they went in own-way, they went in ill-disciplined…you would not believe the persons, if you saw them now.”
The internship programme was welcomed by several of the young participants, who said they were eager to gain practical workplace experience and develop new skills.
Amiah Padmore, who hopes to pursue a career in psychology, described the internship as “a great opportunity”:
Amiah Padmore. (Photo Credit: Lourianne Graham/Barbados TODAY)
“I feel very good. I feel like this is a great opportunity for me and I will definitely have experience doing things like this because I want to go into psychology. And I like to talk to people.”
While she had no preference for which department she would be placed in, Padmore said she wanted to make the most of the experience.
She also said opportunities like the internship were important because many young people have little understanding of the workplace:
“It’s important because people like me are very misguided. They don’t have much knowledge about the work and how it operates or what to do, so it’s just for them to practice or get into it to know what to do.”
Davidson Griffith, 17, said the programme would allow young people to develop valuable interpersonal skills while contributing to the country:
Davidson Griffith. (Photo Credit: Lourianne Graham/Barbados TODAY)
“I feel extremely great it’s an opportunity for young people to come together and to develop their interpersonal skills as it pertains to serving the public of Barbados and contributing to the development of Barbados.”
Griffith, who is involved in the Barbados National Youth Parliament and previously served as a youth ambassador advocating for students with disabilities after being diagnosed with dyslexia, said he was prepared to serve wherever he was assigned:
“My interest in this internship is to serve. If it’s serving in whatever department that the internship offers, I just want to be there to serve the people of Barbados and to be an example for young people of Barbados, especially young men in Barbados, that the government is providing these opportunities and don’t take them for granted.”
(LG)
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