Safaricom has announced that it will be taking 63 university students under its 2017 technology internship program. This year’s intake will target at least 40 female interns and four positions for persons living with disabilities, while the remaining 19 positions will be open to male interns.

Beginning this year, the program will be known as the Safaricom Technology Academy and will be expanded to include five courses in addition to the hands-on internship experience. The courses under the Technology Academy will include IP Networking, Application Development, inter-personal skills, personal finances and job readiness skills.

“Our Technology Academy reflects our commitment to building local capacity and equipping Kenyans with the skills to keep up with fast-changing technology. We have carefully designed the structure of the Academy to ensure participants are well prepared to tackle Kenya’s demanding technology sector,” said Thibaud Rerolle, Director – Technology, Safaricom.

In 2016, Safaricom absorbed two permanent employees from its internship program, while more than 20 other interns have been absorbed by 18 companies who have partnered with Safaricom on the Technology Academy. To date, more than 360 students have completed the program since its inception in 2012.

Safaricom’s Technology Internship program has bridged the gender gap in the mobile operator workforce, with female engineers now numbering 164 from 92 in 2013.

Applications for the 2017 Safaricom Technology Academy will open on the Safaricom Career Portal and will close on Sunday, 26th February 2017. This year’s program is especially targeting people living with disabilities in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields.

Internships are open to Kenyan applicants, preferably those in their 3rd to 5th year of study in ICT related fields including Computer Science, Information Technology, Electrical and Electronics Engineering or Telecommunications Engineering. Applicants must not have graduated.

Successful applicants will job-shadow Safaricom engineers in their roles, before being assigned practical projects and duties.