The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Professor Mary Okwakol, the chairperson of Uganda National Examinations Board-UNEB has advised higher institutions of learning to invest in research to enable companies to offer virtual internship training to students.
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, many Universities adopted the Open Distance and e-Learning-ODeL system to continue teaching students. However, the students have been finding difficulties getting opportunities for internships from companies due to limited space.
Speaking at the 6th annual East African Communications Association-EACA conference convened virtually at Uganda Christian University, Okwakol said that institutions should consider developing approaches favouring companies to offer mentorship to students.
A successful internship provides students with professional work experience in a structured environment with assistance from experts. They are assigned with mentors and school-based internship coordinators to advise them on how to navigate particular worksite cultures on top of interacting with other experienced workers.
Prof. Okwakol advises companies to familiarize themselves with virtual systems and not give up on mentoring students since they both get a chance for someone with fresh ideas and allowing students to bring out their previous experiences.
Josephine Kinyanzu, a participant who attended the conference from Kenya noted that training institutions should ensure equipping learners with the capacity to collect data and information using digital technologies.
Prof. Monica Chibita, the Dean Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication at UCU advised media organizations to adopt systems of imparting skills and effectively by making use of computer and telephone applications.
She also notes that media houses can start coming to students and offer practical training at the campus where there is space.
The EACA was established in 2011 to serve as a platform for media and communications experts, researchers, academics, policymakers, regulators and media practitioners in Eastern Africa.
Dr Emilly Comfort Maractho, the Director of UCU Africa Policy Center, the conference convener says the platform gives professionals working in the fields of journalism, communications and academics a chance to share perspectives and replicate models to generate research papers and presentations for publication in scholarly journals such as the African Journal of Communication.
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