Staff from NUST’s Cooperative Education Unit attended the Institute of Personnel Management (IPM) conference held recently in Windhoek.

The IPM conference brings together Human Resources practitioners, local and international leaders in the corporate, public and private sectors, as well as students to share best practices. The participants are given the opportunity to discuss several other issues pertaining to the human capital profession.

Furthermore, the conference also provides a platform for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to engage and network with industry representatives. This year, UNAM, IUM, NUST, and NTA representatives engaged in a panel discussion focusing on the MTC National Internship project case study, which was launched this year in June.

The MTC National Internship Initiative project has provided 160 students from the three higher education institutions (UNAM, IUM, and NUST) including VTCs, with Work Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities. The institutions gave presentations on how internships are coordinated in their respective institutions.

This included the role of students, industry and institutions of higher learning in the national internship project. In addition, they shared their learning experiences, inclusive of successes and challenges.

The conference ended with a gala dinner to celebrate, network and recognise individuals in the HR profession and leadership who have done well over the past year. CEU received the HR Centre for Excellence award for leading and managing a well-structured cooperative education unit and championing WIL placements and industry engagement. 

Ms Martha Namutuwa, the Acting Director for the Unit said: “The award is appreciated and it is a motivation for us, as it is indeed an indication that CEU is doing great work that has an impact on the human resources development of the country.”