Internship

Internship @ OCTAQ

The OCTAQ Global Internship Program is designed to serve a dual purpose – enable interns to provide useful assistance to the organization while also gaining on-the-job training that will assist them with their future career search and choice.

Interns at OCTAQ go through an orientation process similar to that for new full-time employees.
Incoming interns are therefore provided with information on the desired time frame of internship, the qualifications and skills sought by OCTAQ, potential activities that the intern will be undertaking (e.g. project based or job shadowing), expectations of the interns by OCTAQ and possible career choices for the intern on the basis of his/her capabilities and area of study.
Work learning goals for the intern are clearly established and discussed.
The hours of work and intern responsibilities are also clarified to the satisfaction of both parties.

Internship

OCTAQ’s internship program is predicated on a number of key elements to ensure its success. OCTAQ plans in advance for its internship needs in order to ensure that both student and company derive the maximum benefit from the partnership. In planning and implementing its internship program, OCTAQ considers some of the following - workload and the availability of intern projects, staff support, office space and financial resources. The screening and selection of the appropriate candidate is carried out taking into consideration the needs of the company in order to find the best fit with applying candidates. Notices of openings for interns are posted one to six months in advance of the expected start date.

OCTAQ is fully cognizant of the fact that internships are of a training nature. In view of this, a considerable time investment is made in our interns. Seasoned staff are carefully identified and selected to supervise interns. Supervisors of interns are encouraged to plan ongoing weekly meetings to stay up-to-date with the intern's progress.

OCTAQ’s internship program assigns challenging projects and tasks to students. Effective assignments are coupled with adequate supervision so as to provide an information resource and to ensure that interns keep pace with the demands of their position. Interns are fully included in all organizational events and are provided with opportunities for networking and informational interviewing with key personnel of OCTAQ.

All of OCTAQ’s interns are compensated during the period of their internship with the company. Interns are taken on with the understanding that there is no promise of a job following the training.

OCTAQ believes strongly in the learning opportunity that internships provide to students. Mutually agreed-upon learning objectives are established for incoming interns from the onset of the program. Well-documented learning objectives are set to provide clear direction and targeted goals for the intern. These learning objectives are concise and measurable in order to ensure that both parties envision the same experience whilst reducing the possibility of misunderstanding and disappointment. Other aspects of OCTAQ’s internship program are documented for ease of reference. These include internship job descriptions, eligibility and application requirements, compensation structures, supervisory roles, and supervisor/intern evaluations. .

OCTAQ’s internship program compensation package is based on receiving experienced volunteers. Most volunteer programs require volunteers to actually pay for their internship but OCTAQ’s offers compensation on the basis of the experience and skills set of interns. The compensation and benefits package is as follows:

Competitive Cash Stipend

Provision of basic

Provision of transportation to and from work

Availability of sponsor to take interns around Accra for a limited period of time.
This facility may not be available throughout the entire internship period.

At the end of the internship period, there is an evaluation process to elicit feedback from OCTAQ interns. The evaluation focuses on the learning objectives that were identified at the start of the internship. Supervisors evaluate both positive accomplishments and weaknesses of the intern in order to be as constructive as possible. If an intern was unable to meet their learning objectives, suggestions for improvement are given.