WINDHOEK: Student organisations have expressed their support for the youth internship incentive scheme, asserting that it will effectively equip graduates with the necessary skills for the job market.

The initiative is a provision in the Income Tax Amendment Bill, which was tabled in the National Assembly by Finance and Public Enterprises Minister Iipumbu Shiimi on Tuesday.

‘The youth incentives scheme is meant to incentivise employers to take in interns, and the burden is going to be shared equally by the state and the company. In other words, if you are a company and you take in interns, you get a tax credit. The tax credit is half of the money that you are paying the intern.

‘That way, we are hoping that many companies will sign up as many interns as possible so that we can upskill and develop these talents that are graduating from our higher learning institutions,’ explained Shiimi.

The president of the Student Union of Namibia, Bernard Kavau, told Nampa on Wednesday that they welcome the incentive sc
heme, but cautioned against its abuse.

‘Our view as a union is that students who intend to do internships have always struggled to get that opportunity. One of the reasons is that corporate companies want to maximise profits, and having someone to learn is seen as making a loss,’ said Kavau.

‘For us, if they are incentivised, many students will have the opportunity to gain experience. It is something that we welcome. Also, as companies welcome students, they might just look at the incentives coming from the government but not really train them. Spend time with these young people so that they can gain the right experience and add value and capacity to their companies and the nation at large.’

On her part, Dorthea Nangolo, the president of the Namibia National Students Organisation, told Nampa that the incentives allow students to have internship opportunities as a component of the Work Integrated Learning Policy, which aims to offer students the chance to acquire practical experience.

She also commended th
e government for including provisions for student allowances during internships in the amendment.

‘They are not just going to show up every day to get the experience they need, but also receive some sort of monthly allowance during their internship. That is something we really welcome because we are preparing our graduates for the job market,’ said Nangolo.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency