The Perceptions of Interns Towards Government Agricultural Internship (Graduates' Programme) in Mpumalanga Province
None
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3221/2025/v53n2a13487Keywords:
Government, Internship, PerceptionAbstract
This paper aims to present the perceptions of interns who have been participating in a postgraduate government internship programme of the Department of Agriculture in Mpumalanga province. Internships have become a prevalent phenomenon among graduates of institutions of higher learning. Internships are the knowledge centre and network platform that offers practical experience to graduates or interns. Moreover, internships are pivotal in improving interns' employability and employment. The problem tackled in the study is that graduates are not appointed due to a lack of practical experience. This study analysed the internship-graduate programme of 73 interns out of 104 from three districts (Ehlanzeni, Gert Sibande and Nkangala). Self-administered questionnaires were posted to the interns (due to COVID-19) who were still in the internship programme. The findings are that out of 35 statements given, 19 were negative, and 16 were positive about internships. The study concluded that the internships were related to the government agricultural internship programme (graduates' programme). The paper recommended improvement in the activities of four stakeholders that play a part in the internship programme, namely the project manager, the human resource office, the extension officers and the farmers.
Downloads
References
AWINDRA, Y., 2023. Internship. Engineer Software. Available from: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yash-awidra/yash-awidra-63a4b21a6/overlay/about- this-profile/
BINDER, J.F., BAGULEY, T., CROOK, C. & MILLER, F., 2015. The academic value of internships: Benefits across disciplines and student backgrounds. Contemp. Educ. Psychol., 41: 73–82.
BROOKS, L., CORNELIUS, A., GREENfiELD, E. & JOSEPH, R., 1995. The relation of career-related work or internship experiences to the career development of college seniors. J. Vocat. Behav., 46(3): 332–349.
BUSBY, G., 2003. Tourism degree internships: A longitudinal study. J. Voc. Educ. & Train., 55(3): 319–334.
GAULT, J., REDINGTON, J. & SCHLAGER, T., 2000. The benefits of undergraduate business internships: Implications for the student, university, and business community. J. Mark. Educ., 22(1): 45-53.
HORA, M., CHEN, Z., PARROTT, E. & HER, PA., 2020. Problematising college internships: Exploring issues with access, program design and developmental outcomes. Available from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1254749.pdf
KOYANA, S., SUNDLANE, R., SUNDHLANE K., MAHWASANE, M., ZWANE, B. & GQOLANA, P., 2013. Report on the internship baseline study. South African Graduates Development Association.
PREETHI, A., 2015. A study on perception, aspiration, and participation of farm youth in Agriculture. Soc. Sci., 11(5): 215.
RICHARDS, E, W., 1984. Undergraduate preparation and early career outcomes: A study of recent college graduates. Journal of Vocational Behaviour., 24(3): 279 - 304.
STATS SA., 2023. Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) Q1:2023. Graduate Unemployment. Available from: chrome- extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0211/Presentation%20QLFS%20Q1%202023.pdf
THOMPSON, M.N., PEREZ-CHAVEZ, J. & FETTER, A., 2021. Internship experience among college students attending an HBC: A longitudinal grounded theory exploration. J. Career Assess., 29(4): 1-19.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 R.L. Mathebula, E.M. Zwane, E.M. Letsoalo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
.png){kind=spacer}
