Example: Internships

Internships

Internships are a great learning experience for young people as they receive an intense training at one of DHL’s business units. Over the course of some months, the youth develops personally and professionally while the volunteer becomes a role model and feels the impact he/she can make.

Duration: 3-6 months

Number of young people involved: One per internship/Up to nine interns per year

Number of volunteers involved: Preferably one per intern

Place: DHL

How to set up a GoTeach Internship

• Check your country’s the legal framework:
  • Minimum and maximum duration of an internship programme in your country: Can it be longer than 6 months?
  • Minimum age for interns: Are the interns still obliged to attend school and need to work only part-time?
  • Financial investment involved: Is there an obligation to pay interns/ to provide a small financial reward or any other kind of indemnity to cover transportation costs and lunch?
• DHL conducts a gap analysis to see how many open positions they can offer in different departments. They select the volunteer supporting the intern carefully and decide upon the minimum duration needed for youth to learn something
• DHL prepares profiles for the interns needed and briefs their volunteers
• The young people prepare CVs and (if necessary) motivation letters, SOS supports them
  • Criteria: personal motivation + focus of studies should align with open position
• DHL’s HR department interviews the selected youth. Both DHL and SOS should be involved in the final selection process
• The ones not selected receive feedback about decision
• Ideally, the internship starts with an induction phase (up to one week):The interns rotate around different departments with preparation included (business behavior, dress code, punctuality)
• During the course of the internship, the youth stays in one position
• Optional: The internship can end with a presentation from the youth to their team about what tasks they accomplished and what experiences they made
• Follow up from SOS to see if youth gets employed

Anonymous youth about internship at DHL Kenya

DID YOU KNOW?

Internships require intense preparation and a lot of commitment from both sides. In order to create a beneficial experience for everyone, the gap analysis and the selection of participants must be taken with care.

Useful hints

• Try to reach the most diverse youth with different kinds of internships (management, administration, but also operational internships).
• The selection process of both youth and volunteers is crucial for the internships do work out. The profile of the youth needs to be very specific: Listen to the youth during the interview to understand their expectations. In addition, select the volunteer with care, so that only the committed ones are in the programme.
• Set clear expectations by a proper induction phase at the DHL offices. Volunteers have to understand the Code of Conduct and be patient, as interns have multiple questions at the beginning.
• Do not make a difference between interns from SOS and other interns. Include them in all activities (team or department meetings, informal meetings). If you have the chance, involve the SOS CV mothers to let them know how to support the youth throughout the internship.
• If possible, do check-ups every month. Give both the volunteers and interns the chance to give feedback to improve the activity.

Chapter lead	Susanne Novotny