Expanding into Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city, brought many challenges and opportunities for our team. With the support of Nedbank Zimbabwe (our Innovation Hub sponsor), Zara’s Center (our amazing host), and after a year of hard work, we’re excited to begin seeing our investment into the city pay off through the completion of our recent internship program, where students stepped away from the Hub to join various companies for one month, in-person internships.
Throughout the year, our students in Bulawayo – some, first time computer users – have been studying User Interface / User Experience Design, Front End Web Development and WordPress, and Digital Marketing & SEO. Getting the chance to intern and put their skills to the test alongside professionals in live working environments has been extremely valuable for our students.
Here’s what one of our students, Gracious, had to say about her time interning as a Digital Marketer.
“As an intern, I found myself surrounded by mentors who were dedicated to helping me succeed. After spending time in the work space, being exposed to a variety of skill sets made me realize how every sector is interconnected and how important being versatile is…I am more confident than ever before and I will recommend Uncommon and the internship program to my peers. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience!”
Likewise, the companies that hosted our students got a lot out of the experience as well. Here’s what Mpi Ndebele from InnoTech Africa had to say.
“The students are able to understand what the client is thinking. They didn’t need to hold their hand, they brought fresh ideas and a new perspective on things. They had confidence and weren’t afraid to voice their opinions or ask questions, and they were willing to learn new things.”
Now that the internships are over, we have welcomed the students back to the Hub for their final module where they will focus on Job Prep as well as polishing up the areas that their employers identified needed improving. After that, we will support the graduates in their job search, though we have a feeling that many have already found a home after their internships!
Huge congratulations are in order for Beyond Bechani, Racheal Bulombe and Anesu Ndoro, who relocated from Harare to Bulawayo to launch our work there, as well as to the various team members who spent time visiting and working in Bulawayo over the past 12 months.