Mozambique: MozYouth Foundation launched at graduation ceremony for 120 interns in Maputo

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Mozambique: MozYouth Foundation launched at graduation ceremony for 120 interns in Maputo

12:51 CAT | 18 Aug 2023

Photo: Supplied

A graduation ceremony for 120 graduates of the MozYouth internship programme was held this Thursday, 17 August in Maputo to mark the completion of this critical 6 month duration employability programme. In total, 172 interns participated in the programme, of whom the 120 graduating this week were based in Maputo.

The ceremony also provided the opportunity to formally launch the MozYouth Foundation, dedicated to enhancing the employability of young people and women by assisting with the transition from education to employment.

A pathway from learning to earning

The transition from studying for a degree or professional training to employment and receiving a salary is challenging. Often, even entry-level roles require specific experience which those who are entering the workforce for the first time cannot offer. This programme has been helping thousands of young people to tackle these challenges through providing internship programmes and related workplace readiness training, since 2018. The interns each undertook a 6 month paid placement at a host company where they gained vital practical workplace experience, critical knowledge, training and skills to help them secure, and succeed in, subsequent employment or self-employment.

Mozyouthf.sup_.sup_ — *Adrian Frey. Executive Chairman of MozParks, with one of the graduates. [Photo: Supplied]*

This specific programme supported a total of 172 young people, including 82 women and 90 men, of whom 47 are still to complete their internships and 76 have already found future employment.

These interns have been supported by the Embassy of Ireland in Mozambique, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Cooperation).

MozYouth Foundation launch

The MozYouth Foundation is being formally launched to give a long-term, sustainable platform to continue and to further expand this successful programme which has been helping thousands of young people to ease the transition from education to the workplace and find a path that leads to a fast-growing career.

MozParks created the internship programme and is now supporting the creation of the MozYouth Foundation as a dedicated organisation to focus on supporting youth and female employability. The MozYouth Foundation will operate nationally, across all industry types and in all provinces supporting young people.

According to Oswaldo Petersburgo, Secretary of State for Youth and Employment, “this event represents the importance of a shared cause: increasing the employability of young Mozambicans. Our congratulations to MozParks, Hollard and FNB, as well as all the business entities that have contributed to the materialisation of this programme, which contributes to the objectives set by the Mozambican government. Given the dynamics of the labour market, which is increasingly demanding and highly competitive, entering the labour market via a professional internship has been a positive differential in achieving this goal. As Government, we will continue to support and implement these kinds of initiatives that generate increasing numbers of jobs for our young people”.

The MozYouth Foundation is supported by leaders from some of Mozambique’s best known companies, with three Founding Members being; Adrian Frey – Executive Chairman of MozParks; Peter Blenkinsop – Chief Executive Officer for FNB Mozambique; and Henri Mittermayer– Chief Executive Officer for Hollard Mozambique and two further board members being; Agnaldo Laice – General Manager for Twigg Exploration & Mining; and Christian Roeder – Chief Executive Officer for DP World, Maputo.

The Chairman of the MozYouth Foundation, Adrian Frey pointed out that the MozYouth Employment Programmer will continue to be the vehicle for training, employability, and entrepreneurial development for young people in Mozambique and invited the private sector and national and international partners to be part of the programme.

Peter Blenkinsop, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FNB Mozambique says: “This initiative is extremely relevant to the Mozambican economy, we need high quality skills, and we all have a responsibility to empower future generations. We are committed to offering our know-how to these young graduates. This is one of our most important contributions as FNB Mozambique and a founding member of the MozYouth Foundation. It’s a privilege to be involved in an organisation like MozParks with such an incredible track record and to contribute to the development of the local economy.”

Henri Mittermayer, CEO of Hollard Moçambique Seguros, also says: “The MozYouth Foundation is at the heart of Hollard Moçambique Seguros’ purpose, creating and enabling better futures for people and businesses in and from Mozambique. Today we witness the transformative impact that MozYouth brings to our country by creating paid internship opportunities for young people and facilitating their entry into a labour market that emphasises experience. To the young people who have graduated today, we appeal for the courage to continue strong on their professional path, as the opportunity of internships is undoubtedly a valuable tool to win their deserved place in the sun in due course. Hollard Moçambique Seguros will continue to mobilise efforts to provide paid internship opportunities for the next generation”.

“I want to express my gratitude to the founding members, FNB, Hollard and MozParks, who came together to create this MozYouth foundation, which is a bridge to job creation for young Mozambicans. It is only with excellence in training that we can be a society that moves towards economic independence and development,”said , in closing, Onório Manuel, MozParks’ Managing Director.

Source: MozYouth Foundation / Press Release