Level 300 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students at the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) have undergone a day’s training ahead of their compulsory internship programme.
As part of the requirement for graduation from first-degree programmes in AAMUSTED, students spend a minimum of 12 credit hours during their four-year programme duration for internships in their respective areas of specialisation in a school setting.
That, among others, is to provide opportunity for the interns to explore and participate in a variety of aspects of school life and gain a holistic view of teaching and further insight into the complexity of educational structure and processes
Already, the University has established partnerships with various Basic, Senior High and several other schools for the professional teachers there to serve as lead mentors and mentors to the student interns under the Student Internship Programme (SIP). On March 31, 2022, the University even held a Supported Teaching in Schools (STS) Workshop for Lead Mentors and Mentors in the Greater Kumasi Area to ensure the success of the SIP.
Therefore, the seminar, held on June 17, 2022, was to equip the students to be attuned to the SIP. The topics for the day centered mainly on the roles and responsibilities of the interns while on the field, the processes involved in completing the Intern Record Book called the Yellow Book, the internship-related challenges and coping strategies, and how to use the online application software to register internship details. The seminar was organised in three different sessions from morning to evening to enable all the students take advantage of it.
Speaking at the second session, the Coordinator of the Office in charge of the SIP in AAMUSTED, Mr. Raphael K. Dzakpasu, urged the students to guard the image of the University as they undertook the internship programme.
He asked them to exhibit behaviours like punctuality, regularity, politeness, hard work, intelligence and professionalism, and the like that could enhance the image of the University and not the kind that could destroy it. He also advised them against any expectation of payment from their hosts, stressing that the internship programme was only a platform for further training.
The Immediate Past Coordinator of the SIP, Mr. Ficus Gyasi, spoke on the Internship-related challenges and coping strategies. He drew the students’ attention to potential challenges they could encounter in the work environment. He listed over-demanding, non-cooperative, hateful, abusive, and exploitative heads, mentors, and staff, as examples.
As much as possible, he asked them to act smart if they faced any challenges, seeking to work hard and live peaceably with everybody. However, if the challenges were becoming overbearing, he said they should contact the SIP Office for help and guidance. Ultimately, he said they should be determined to complete the internship programme since that was important for them to graduate.
A Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Mathematics Education (FASME), Dr. William Asiedu, took them through the INTERNSHIP-APP.
Earlier, the Dean of the Faculty of Education and Communication Sciences (FECS), Dr. Samuel Adu Gyamfi, officially opened the seminar on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor of AAMUSTED, Prof. Frederick Kwaku Sarfo. He reiterated the need for the interns to protect the image of the University while on the field and encouraged them to take advantage of the seminar to prepare for internship.
