Student Trainees Undertake Internship
By Journalism student Esther Gahane
Thirteen students from the University of Papua New Guinea are currently undertaking their internship at the Department of Personnel Management .
11 Students from the Human Resource Strand are attached under different branches in the Department while two female student from the Journalism and Public Relations Strand attached to the Public Service Information Centre (PSIC).
A third year HR student Fenny Pupo said, that working with DPM for the past four weeks as a trainee has helped him to understand how DPM functions as the department responsible for HR issues.
One of the processes that interests him the most is the formalities and official conduct in public offices and the relationship agencies.
“The staff are so friendly and helpful throughout the past training period and I learnt a lot from their shared experiences that add value to my knowledge in public service which I see myself as one of them serving the public as a trainee,” he said.
Ivatius Igara who is also a third year student attached under Strategic Policy Development Division said that the internship has helped him understand the process of policy reviews and how that then gets to be amended and made into an act or included provisions.
“I’ve come to understand that conducting surveys and writing up reports that takes into consideration other underlying laws that dictates the existence of that policy and also considering changes and the current status”. Christine Lewi, also a third year female student expressed similar sentiments.
“It is very interesting here, we learn how to put into practice the theory knowledge that we learnt in University. It’s a nice experience of actually doing recruitment and selection, interviews, doing contracts for seniors and junior officers and approval of job advertisements.”
This week is the end of the 4th week for the HR students which they have another four more weeks to go whereas for the two JPR students they have 13 weeks to go.
This internship is part of the courses that they are studying at UPNG therefore after completion of the internship the third years will return for 2022 academic year while the two final year students will be eligible to graduate.