Second GraceKennedy internship under way

AFTER THE successful staging of its first formal internship programme, GraceKennedy has taken on five interns for its second year. The company launched the programme in March 2013 to allow new graduates with no work experience exposure to the corporate world.

The 10 participants in the 2013 programme were hired by the company after their internship period ended in March of 2014.

"It's a tough operating environment, but we knew we had to do this again. The results achieved by the last set of interns showed us that there is too much talent out there, and that we have to help develop it for Jamaica's good," said Group CEO Don Wehby, who announced the initiative at the launch of the New Mona School of Business and Management in 2012.

The CEO said the process of choosing five participants for this year's cohort was very difficult.

GIVE YOUTH A CHANCE

"It just underscores that Jamaica's future is in good hands, and that more corporate entities need to get on board to give our young people a chance to prove themselves," he said.

Dr Cassida Jones, group chief human resource (HR) officer at GraceKennedy, advised that the new interns, who were exposed to a rigorous selection process, will be placed across the group to garner practical work experience aimed at enhancing their knowledge, skills and competencies.

"The business units participating in the programme will be responsible for providing continuous training, coaching and supervision of the interns, and group HR will have general oversight of the programme," she said.

The internship will be for a period of one year, during which time they will receive a monthly stipend. Upon completion of the programme, they will be assessed, and opportunities for full-time employment will be explored.

The participating interns are Rocquel Brown, Crystal-Gayle Johnson, Antoinette Smith, Kadeem Brown and Michael Berry. They assumed duties last week.