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05 October 2022 | Story Samkelo Fetile
Studentships and Internships
Interns based in various departments on the Bloemfontein, South, and Qwaqwa campuses participated in a workshop hosted by the Department of Human Resources.

The Department of Human Resources at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently organised a session for interns employed by various departments on the Bloemfontein, South, and Qwaqwa campuses. These interns appointed by the UFS, are funded through various Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA) and the Department of Higher Education and Training (Presidential Youth Employment Initiative).

The goal of these workshops is to provide interns with the required skills to prepare them for the workplace.

 

Building the skill set of interns

Telishia van Vollenhoven, Training Specialist in the Department of Human Resources, says interns are essential to the UFS because they provide a new perspective on the institution's day-to-day operations and processes and may give thoughts on strategy, goals, rules, and more.

 “Interns are a very important part of an organisation. They are also our employees. With these workshops, we would like to equip them with the necessary skills to prepare them for the workplace. They bring in new fresh ideas and assist with the operational function of the institution. The workshop is not just applicable to interns, but all staff and line managers could also benefit from such a workshop.”

As part of the workshop, interns were introduced to a variety of programmes that aid in their overall development. These include how to create a results-oriented resume/CV, the definition and benefits of an internship, understanding the internship programme at the UFS, understanding workplace requirements, delivering effective customer service, becoming more productive, learning organisational skills, the importance of teamwork, creating awareness of differences in the workplace, and how to compile a portfolio of evidence (POE).

 

Empowering young people

Interns are further empowered by participating in brainstorming sessions and meetings, as well as providing feedback and proposals to institutional or internship leaders. Through their education and knowledge, they may assist the institution in implementing the most recent strategies and methods in their chosen career field.

The workshop is conducted four times a year or as the need arises. Thus far this year, a total of four workshops have been conducted as follows:

  • 29 June 2022 – Bloemfontein Campus
  • 18 August 2022 – Qwaqwa Campus
  • 14 September 2022 – Bloemfontein Campus
  • 28 September 2022 – Bloemfontein Campus

News Archive

Kovsies proud of a gold PRISM Award for safety campaign
2015-05-05

Stefan Lotter, Leonie Bolleurs and Lacea Loader. All three are from the Departement of Communication and Brand Management at the UFS.
Photo: Hannes Pieterse

The University of the Free State, takes pride in the gold PRISM Award (from the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa) for the B Safe Take Action safety campaign that has been rolled out on the campus since 2013 by the Department of Communication and Brand Management.

The campaign earned the Von H Brand Provocateur gold award in the internal communication category.

“The UFS is the only tertiary institution to receive a gold award. The award is a great honour for the department, considering the cream of South African public relations took part in the competition, and the standard was naturally very high. It was also a feather in the cap for us that the uniqueness of the campaign received national recognition from our peers in this manner, said Ms Lacea Loader, Director: Communication and Brand Management at the UFS.

The university is responsible for about 32 000 students and 4 000 members of staff on its three campuses: the Bloemfontein and South Campuses in Bloemfontein and the Qwaqwa Campus in the Eastern Free State. It is of cardinal importance for the university that its students, staff, and assets are safe.

Apart from safety measures that have been implemented by the UFS Protection Services, the B Safe Take Action campaign has also been rolled out on the three campuses of the UFS. The campaign supports the safety strategy of the university. It is aimed at developing a culture of safety awareness in students and staff alike. The purpose of the campaign is for staff and students to take ownership of their own safety. In addition, it creates awareness of the safety measures that are in place at the UFS.

The campaign has been rolled out on various communication platforms. These include placards, pamphlets, lamp-post advertisements, an advertisement board, emails, and messages on student communication portals such as Blackboard, the UFS web and intranet, social media, information boards in the campus parking areas and on the pedestrian walkways as well as messages on refuse bins around the campus. “The fact that a variety of communication platforms has been deployed, the striking design and character of the messages, and the number of target audiences that have been reached further contributed to the success of the campaign,” said Ms Loader,

The campaign also received a merit award from the International Association for Business Communication (IABC). The award will be presented on 15 June 2015 in San Francisco, USA.

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