About 167 graduates who have undergone the internship training will now be absorbed by the Eastern Cape Department of Education this year in line with the provincial skills development policy.
The department has taken it upon itself to absorb these unemployed graduates who were serving it as interns after an extensive training and evaluation they have undergone.
The provincial skills development policy states that: “unemployed graduates must be absorbed through normal recruitment processes and be prioritised for appointment if they have the necessary skills needed by the department”. As a matter of adhering to the policy according to Neliswa Qanda who is the coordinator for training and internship in the Human Resources Development directorate, the department has developed a programme for the absorption of these graduates.
Qanda said that interns will be placed against vacant posts in their respective directorates. Due to the issue of slimming down personnel at the head office these interns will be placed “at the head office and in the districts so that service delivery can be sped up in the districts”. She added that her directorate has already started with the process which must be finished before the beginning of the coming financial year 2010/11.
“By the beginning of the coming financial year we want these interns to start on their posts,” said Qanda.
Meanwhile the department has recruited 20 new interns who started in December 2009 and early January this year. This request according to Qanda was a request from two directorates within the head office.
“Supply chain management and salary payment services requested 10 interns each. We also got five interns from Education Training Development Practice Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA)” concluded Qanda.
Issued by: Department of Education, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
5 February 2010
Source: Department of Education, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
(http://www.ecdoe.gov.za/)
