The Ministry of Public Service, Skills Development and Labour has urged all public institutions to start enrolling university students for a six-month internship programme in a bid to help them attain on-job training skills.

"We call upon all potential employers to help university graduates in finding them internship positions in their institutions beginning this year,” the State Minister for Skills Development and Labour, Angelina Muganza, said on Friday.

She was addressing participants in the national employment dialogue held at Kigali Serena Hotel.

The minister explained that during that period, employers should at least pay for the services they render in form of facilitation.

"The ministry has budgeted for the internship programme and we shall be giving them a small facilitation fee for their upkeep as well,” she said.

Muganza said that her ministry was working hard to see that the programme achieves its objectives of human resource development and employability, which is in line with employment promotion. 

Under the internship programme, ministries would enroll at least six students and are required to supervise and teach them the skills required during that period.

In a related development, Muganza appealed to all employers to stop all tendencies of segregation of potential employees especially those with physical disabilities.

The minister noted that some employees still discriminate against people with disabilities even when they have the same academic qualifications with others.

"People with disability have the same potentials like every one else no one should deny them a chance to employment,” she said.

According to information from the first 2002 General Population and Housing Census (GPHC), nearly 5 percent of Rwanda’s population suffer from a major disability and individuals with physical disability are by far more numerous than others.

The ministry has embarked on specific employment programmes for people with disability and a related action plan is in the progress,” she added.
Ends