[kictanet] [labor issues] why Kenya should urgently BAN unpaid internships

[Jimmy Gitonga]

Hapo sawa Brathe, :-D

I think what we are really asking is a societal question. Unpaid internships are not illegal. Swopping out internship with apprenticeship does not answer the underlying question.

Why should internships be paid for? The answer is a social impact one, not a business one. It being construed as a business decision is what people are up in arms about. Internship is a "giving back", "paying forward” or “leg up" kind of thing.

Who should pay for interns to flourish in private organisations? Should the company pay for the labour? Should the intern pay for the opportunity and experience?? Who owes who?

With the best regards,
Jimmy Gitonga






> On 4 Apr 2019, at 11:23 AM, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke> wrote:
> 
> Jimmy
> 
> Let me be clear and remove my 'cleverness' :-)
> 
> My deep conviction is this:-
> 
> We are bucking the wrong tree. Let's go back to the basics. Let's redefine what an internship/apprenticeship means. Firstly, let's accept that the internship concept has been so bastardized that it has lost meaning. I would like at this point to replace internship with apprenticeship. Apprenticeship used to mean:-
> 
> A person who is learning a trade from a skilled employer, having agreed to work for a fixed period at low wages.
> 
> Let us have candid conversations around changing mindsets  - both from a corporate perspective and an internee/apprentice perspective.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Ali Hussein
> Principal
> AHK & Associates
>  
> Tel: +254 713 601113
> Twitter: @AliHKassim
> Skype: abu-jomo
> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim> <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim>
> 
> 13th Floor , Delta Towers, Oracle Wing,
> Chiromo Road, Westlands,
> Nairobi, Kenya.
> 
> Any information of a personal nature 

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