Internship Management Program

The Dad Fund launched its internship program around the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The Dad Fund placed 35 international interns and 215 local interns on various world cup related projects.

The local interns were sourced and placed in all nine provinces across South Africa.

The international interns came from all over the world.

• The high rate of unemployed graduates in South Africa led to the inclusion of a category for new entrants in the National Skills Development Strategy 2 (NSDS2), which was implemented by the Department of Labour (DoL) in 2005.
• There is a need to attract, retain and capitalize on high caliber graduates
• There is an undersupply of skilled employees in the market
• Students in many areas will continue to struggle to find internships as SMEs still don't understand the Department of Trade guidelines and access to internship grants. (2011 Trends Bizcommunity.com)

The business case for interns:

1. Constant pipeline of new talent
2. Audition new staff without too many strings attached
3. Former interns “break even” faster

Note: It’s hard to get an idea of a candidates “fit” from a 20 minute interview and no body likes a bad hire.

How can interns help your business:

• Cost effective
• Allows for young professional development
• Provides service for tactful and tedious work
• At little to no cost, interns can take over tedious yet necessary office management duties (such as filing, data entry, follow-up calls, organizing, etc.)
• Young, professional set of eyes and new age strategies
• Allots more time for full time and salaried employees to focus on their strategic responsibilities
• Provides for future internal promotion
• Helps develop and execute successful yet time-consuming projects and campaigns

The Dad Fund will plan, implement and manage the entire internship program:

1. Identify and develop strategic internship program objectives and position description.
2. Initial search through posting and communicating with our partners and resources to reach the most qualified candidates for the company needs.
3. Candidate assessment review all postings and resumes for qualified interns.
4. Conduct initial phone interviews for preliminary evaluation of the applicants qualifications.
5. Conduct face to face interviews to determine the most suitable professional for your organization.
6. Provide your company with the final candidates and ensure they are what your company needs.
7. Program and mentorship evaluation for each intern.
8. Feedback and evaluation on the entire experience.