Many students find it hard to get internship placements from companies, and others graduate and sit home with little hope of finding a job. Looking at this issue, 29-year-old Jean Claude Manirafasha, decided to launch an internship platform. He is the founder and CEO of Bright Future Contracting Company Ltd, which developed a digital platform known as ‘Africa Digital Internship Linkage’ that connects students and job seekers for internships at companies or industries in various fields in different districts. The graduates are later retained and offered jobs after the internships—curbing the unemployment rate. Take Ariane Nkurunziza, for example, who graduated in civil engineering from a college in Northern Cyprus. After graduation, he came back to Rwanda and started looking for professional internship. His friend connected him to the Africa Digital Internship Linkage platform where he applied online and was linked to a company known as Great Strength Construction Company Ltd. It is where he learned about software applied in civil and construction works like Archicad— a professional building information modelling software solution. Two months into the internship, he gained practical skills on building sites. “Currently, I am paid and get part-time jobs due to the experience and knowledge gained from my internship period,” he says. Starting the platform The company started in 2015 with various engineering activities, but when the pandemic hit Rwanda in 2020, Manirafasha carried out research and found that around 245 students showed the willingness to apply for internship, but in vain. Some of them had a high potential to adapt to the job market. According to Manirafasha, the alumni interns rated the platform as low cost, time-saving and a digitalised way of getting and booking easily internships in the time they need it. “We are helping students from Rwanda Polytechnic -IPRCs, University of Rwanda, private universities and various secondary and TVET schools across the country. And we mostly encourage females to benefit from opportunities brought by this platform,” he says. Manirafasha is now partnering with companies, industries and academic institutions so as to empower the next generation. His main objective is to curb unemployment among the youth who have graduated from various universities and academic institutions in Rwanda. He believes that if time and money are saved in looking for such internship opportunities, then students can be happy and instead use the resources for something else. Marie Alice Uwera, a student at IPRC Kigali in her second year of electrical technology, in April 2020, applied for an internship online at Africa Digital Internship Linkage. She was linked to a company where she did electrical installations in complex building in Kacyiru. After the internship, she was hired at Mukarange in Gicumbi District. Manirafasha says that many youth don’t know where and how they can find professional internships and required documents, that some have even given up. He has no doubt that his platform will be of use to students who feel helpless. Onesphore Nzabonimpa, a student at IPRC Kigali, did internship at MATEEC Ltd linked through Africa Digital Internship Linkage. He worked in industrial electricity where he installed and maintained generators. The skills learned have enabled him to get several part-time jobs. When asked how he classes out students eligible for internship, Manirafasha says that he first ensures the quality of the required documents for internship. “Those in high school, while applying, attach a recommendation letter from their heads of schools, graduates and those in university have to attach their results slips so as to know their performance as we link them to companies and industries accordingly,” he says. He also follows up the interns at their respective companies, in case they encounter problems, and he switches them to other companies, but also follows up and maintains the quality and desire of interns. Him and his team visit interns regularly to know what is on ground but to also know if they are learning something. They also endorse interns after accomplishing the internship training. Manirafasha notes that the government invests a lot of money in supporting technical schools, but technical companies and big industries continue to recruit foreigners. So far, the platform has had some achievements as they applied for the Covid-19 Resilience Fund launched by Ministry of Youth and Culture in Partnership with United Nations Development Programme - UNDP and the Korea International Cooperation Agency-KOICA in 2020, and have been selected for 100 Projects innovations to help in community resilience. The company is expected to soon receive Rwf 1,000,000. Manirafasha’s enterprise was also selected in a three-month coaching programme by Digital Opportunity Trust, dubbed Dot Youth Team and received a $1,000 grant (approximately Rwf 980,000). His firm participated in the MTN Yolo Hackathon Award Competition this year and emerged among the top five. They were granted a one-year data hosting with MTN infrastructure, and free mobile money transactions for one year. Some of the challenges he is facing are low networking from some companies; a thing that he says slows down his work. Manirafasha says that in order to deliver good service, he charges students an internship fee of Rwf 30,000; unfortunately some students show an inability to pay the fee. He calls upon the Private Sector Federation, Institution of Engineers Rwanda, companies and industries to partner with him as he ‘grows with the next generation’. Manirafasha says he needs support from the Ministry of Education and its agencies to promote his platform to be used as a safe channel of applying and getting internships in Rwanda. He appreciates the Ministry of Youth and Culture’s mentorship, coaching and regular follow-up of his entrepreneurial journey. Manirafasha holds a Bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from University of Rwanda’s College of Science and Technology.
