Many employers in Rwanda say fresh graduates lack skills required by the market, while young professionals accuse firms of ‘shutting them out’. This situation has left many young professionals frustrated and disoriented.

Such challenges faced by both employers and prospective employees could soon be history for energy sector professionals in Rwanda and Africa, thanks to a new initiative by Africa Internship Academy where young graduates will have an opportunity to hone their skills through targeted internships.

The programme is one of the efforts geared at enabling Africa’s young professionals in the energy sector to gain skills demanded by the labour market and help reduce unemployment, according to Daniel Antwi, the Africa Internship Academy co-founder.

He added that internships are an amazing solution to help maximise human capital development on the continent.

Antwi noted that lack of requisite skills is a major contributing factor to youth unemployment, saying the academy’s ‘disruptive approach to youth unemployment” would go a long way in helping address this challenge.

"This will facilitate successful transition from the academia to industry by helping sharpen skills of youth early enough to match the labour market demands,” Antwi, also the Ghana-based academy’s Africa regional business and partnerships manager, said in a statement.

According to Antwi, who was announcing the launch the academy’s Young Energy and Power Professionals (YEPP) at the 17th annual African Utility Week in Cape Town, South Africa in May, internships are a win-win for all involved.

He added, "When HR is able to recognise potential early enough and eventually bring them on board, the recruitment process is easier and the intern would definitely feel valuable. The long-term benefits are more for the employer because staff who are former interns at a company are most likely to stay with that employer.”

He revealed that the Academy will set up 10 offices across Africa by end of this year.

About YEPP

Antwi said that Rwandan students studying energy-related courses stand to win some of 30 free scholarships to attend the African Utility Week slated for May 16-18 in Cape Town. Applications open next month.

YEPP will bring together graduates who want to learn from each other, access thought leadership, conduct research to broaden their understanding of power and energy issues, raise funding for future solutions and further their career ambitions.

"There is a lot of room for young people in the utility sector as long as they get the right skills to navigate,” said Antwi. The academy, he added, seeks to impact about 100 million youth in the next 10 years on the continent.

Annual African Utility Week

The 17th annual African Utility Week is the leading conference and trade exhibition for African power, energy and water professionals. The event will gather over 7,000 decision-makers from more than 40 countries to discuss the challenges, developments and opportunities in the power and water sectors, ranging from electricity generation, transmission and distribution to metering, technology and water.

African Utility Week is organised by Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, which is also behind the annual iPAD Rwanda Power and Mining Investment Forum.