At our training centres in Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam, all the students (particularly in their second year) have to do an internship to complete their course. The length of the internship varies from one centre to another: in Cambodia, it’s four and a half months (June to September), in the Philippines, 10 months (June to March) and in Vietnam, it takes place in two phases, first a 10-week one (June-July) and a second one for 20 weeks during their 3rd-year training.
Following education reforms, the length of internships may change so that our courses are aligned with the new school timetables and the changes made by the governments in the host countries.
Intensive preparation
Our professional training, development activities and career guidance are designed to prepare our students, right from day one, for the corporate world. The first step towards this is the internship.
The staff in charge of training help our students develop the necessary skillset: English, professional skills and soft skills.
All our students therefore have lessons on how to write a CV and cover letter as well as mock interviews. Additional lessons and activities are also organised at the centres: a seminar on getting to know the corporate worlds and company organisations in Cambodia, customer relations in the Philippines, Law in Vietnam.
Mock interview in Cambodia
2018 Internship Job fair in the Philippines
All these activities are run by our teachers or volunteers (alumni, corporate partners, etc.)
Overall, I think this internship program is a great program and all the activities as well. Since our students are really new to the working environment, mock interviews help them get ready and do better in their real internship interviews thanks to feedback from their teachers. Most students have great soft skills and professional skills and these training sessions boost their confidence. This internship program is a great resource to help our students prepare and improve themselves for their career journey and it also helps increase the reputation and mission of PN Cambodia.
This year we have 49 students that are being placed with various local and international companies based in Phnom Penh. 50% of our students will be hired by the company after their internship. One good example is Prudential, who took three students and in the past, they have always hired our students after their internships end. So we can expect that all of students will be hired if their performance is good.
Lavy HOUDedicated teams
Students thus get support from the local teams to prepare them for their first corporate experience. And let’s not forget the considerable work done by the external relations teams: they’re with the students every step of the way, finding work placements, monitoring their progress once in the company and carrying out appraisals.
With their expertise in the employment market, the staff can help students develop the skills required and then highlight them during their interviews.
They are also in charge of contacting the companies to find internships for the students, which involves the challenging task of negotiating payment. In the countries we operate in, there’s a real need for qualified workers, which is fortunate for us: companies are looking for talent and often take on interns at the end of their work placement.
The teams in charge of contacting the companies also have to monitor and assess students’ progress with the tutors, who help the students in the companies. Students are assessed on their technical IT skills and interpersonal skills (communication, teamwork, adaptability, etc.)
It was all worth it coming all the way to Cebu from my hometown to be a part of this organisation and contribute to its mission. PN’s high-quality, intensive training paired with ten months of on-the-job training gives the students a chance to compete in the IT Industry and eventually take their families out of the poverty cycle.
Thessa TORRE
News in 2018 for our students in Vietnam
In PN Vietnam, to make students more independent and responsible, they now have to find their own internship. Nhu Thi Hong TRUONG, in charge of external relations for PN Vietnam, told us about this first experience. “This new program is a great opportunity for our second-year students to assess the knowledge and skills that the current market needs. Being in charge of this program, I had chance to work closely with Education and Training teams to understand more about our students’ abilities as well as their difficulties, and help them overcome them. From finding out about the company, applying, the interview and the tests, students worked on their own and I’m very proud of them so far! The result is already positive: 50% of them have been offered an internship. One word to the students, ‘’Keep up the good work during your internship!’’
Companies are central to the process
Our partner companies are actively involved in this process, and at various different stages: before the internships, to help train students (CV-writing, mock interviews, etc.), obviously at the interview stage, and when the students join their company, and when they subsequently tutor/mentor them.
Their cooperation with Passerelles numériques is essential and allows our students to work in a quality professional environment and get the most out of their first work experience. We talked to three of them about this (click on the photos to read about their experience).
Mr Savra PRUM
HR Executive - Truemoney
Mr John Mark YCOY
Application Support Team Lead - Accenture Philippines
Mr. Vũ Minh HOÀNG
Product Director - SEADEV
Also, our team at Seadev strongly believes in what PNV is doing. Therefore, we are willing to contribute and support you in any way we can.
At SEADEV, the interns are expected to show their qualities and attitude to the company culture. There are three main areas we focus on: – Teamwork: do the interns belong in our team? Do our current members enjoy working with them? Do they have leadership skills or not? – Approach for learning: how do the interns learn new things or what are their attitudes towards it?
– Passion: Do they love their job? Do they have the passion to keep up with an industry that changes every single day? Do they have the love to create and deliver excellent products to clients?”