The right internship model can make it work

Staff Reporter



Poiyah Media has taken in its seventh group of interns, which makes it over 50 young professionals entering the doors of the trusted public relations and communications agency, which has been in operation for close to four years.

Poiyah Media strives to prepare its interns for the corporate world and continues to cater for third- and final-year students from Namibian institutions namely; NUST, Unam, IUM and College of the Arts.

The internship programme was created to assist these students in expanding their work credibility and intensifying their skills with an extensive network opportunity.

“Being an intern at Poiyah Media has been a very fulfilling journey. It has added to the skills and knowledge I have obtained and has helped me become confident in my capabilities and execution of tasks. I was able to measure my own progression and see my strengths and areas of improvement.” This is what Wetumwene Shikage, the latest intern from Poiyah media, had to say after she landed a full-time job at NMH publications, following in the footsteps of Shoki Kandjimi, Evangeline Nicanor, Victoria Petrus, Frieda Lukas, Claudine Narimas, Mariam Ananias, and Khadijah Mouton to mention a few, at their respective employment.

Believing in growth, grooming and nurturing students to take part in the working industry, Poiyah Media gives its interns an opportunity to apply as well as develop their proficiency of related theories in a more practical environment through its internship programme. This is not a walk in the park, founder of Poiyah Media Ilke Platt noted.

“We have had to let a few of our students go, to focus on their studies as well as personal commitments. It may seem fun and thrilling to be part of our organisation but we work hard. We do not spoon-feed but show the ropes and equally give ownership to allow our students to be ready for the real world.”

The sixth group of interns with Poiyah mentioned that although their six-month journey was insightful, challenging but rewarding, they learned a lot and gained a lot of experience and grateful for having worked with a group of hardworking and dedicated team members.

“I would not change a thing and would advise the next applicants to know how to multitask and work on a tight timeline,” says Innocent Rukoro.

Upon receiving a nomination for the Global Start-Up Awards in 2019, and being awarded as the best media partner in Namibia, it is evident that Ilke Platt’s work speaks for itself just as Poiyah media’s slogan reverberates – “word of mouth” and quality work never goes unnoticed.

Emilia De Sousa, the new public relations intern for Poiyah Media, says Poiyah Media is such a noticeable brand and was the right choice to apply for her internship. “I have followed Poiyah Media via social media and what makes them stand apart from other organisations is not only the focus on public relations but also a lot of life lessons through the founder’s personal journey. I admire the spirituality that Poiyah Media always positions in the centre through their work and I can’t wait to also grow my brand part of this journey,” she says.

Janet Mwatotange, Martha Kaimbi, Emilia De Sousa, Pandulo Nepembe and David Indongo prepare for their six-month on-the-job training during the pandemic which has brought about a new dynamic of taking on tasks. However, the organisation continues to manoeuvre its way around possible opportunities and remains the preferred agency to work for.

The new team is very optimistic about the next six months and will make use of this opportunity to network and enter the corporate world.