Zimbabwean colleges and universities should allow students to undertake remote internships with international companies to better prepare them for the changing global job market, entrepreneur and outsourcing expert JW Oliver has said.
Oliver managing partner of JW Oliver, a company that connects African talent with foreign businesses said the growth of remote work had made it necessary for higher education institutions to rethink traditional industrial attachment programmes.
"There has been a steady rise in remote work opportunities since COVID. Internship policies of higher learning institutions should reflect this reality," he said.
Most university students in Zimbabwe currently complete their industrial attachment at local companies often requiring them to work physically from an office.
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Oliver, who is also the founder of ZimWorX, said institutions should consider a combination of physical, virtual and hybrid internships depending on the course and type of work involved.
"There should be room for both on-site and virtual internships, depending on the program and nature of the work. Both these modes of work, as well as hybrid work, are very common worldwide. Focusing primarily on traditional workplace internships when remote work is on the rise is counterintuitive," he said.
He argued that remote internships could give students valuable experience before they graduate particularly as many Zimbabwean graduates eventually work remotely for international employers.
"It would make a lot of sense if working remotely was part of their learning experience through industrial attachment. The entire purpose of an internship is to prepare a student for the day-to-day realities of the work environment. If work has shifted from only being done on-site to also being done remotely, shouldn't the learning experience reflect this?," he said.
Oliver acknowledged that remote internships would not be suitable for all disciplines.
Courses such as agriculture may require students to gain practical experience on farms or other physical locations while fields such as accounting and marketing can more easily accommodate remote work.
Many higher learning programmes in Zimbabwe require students to complete workplace training before graduating. However, some students struggle to secure suitable placements, potentially delaying their studies.
Oliver said international remote opportunities could help address the shortage of placements.
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"Students struggling to find practical training placements locally could widen their search to include international remote opportunities," he said.
Some Zimbabwean universities already allow students to undertake internships with foreign companies. Oliver said, however, that existing policies were largely designed around students physically travelling to another country.
"Regulations at such universities were made with physical relocation in mind. What remains is for academic institutions to adjust policies so they actively promote international remote internships." he said
He cited the Industrial Attachment Policy of Bindura University of Science Education, which allows students to undertake internships outside Zimbabwe, but said similar arrangements often involve additional costs for assessment.
"The world is changing," Oliver said. "The days when working for a company automatically meant being physically present at its premises are gone. Work can now be done from anywhere in the world. Industrial attachment policies in Zimbabwe's colleges should match this reality."
Oliver, who is regarded as a prominent voice on outsourcing and remote work, employs more than 1 800 people in Africa and Central America who provide remote services to clients in countries including the United States and United Kingdom.
