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SYAH launches fourth blue economy internship programme |10 December 2019

SYAH launches fourth blue economy internship programme

The programme’s participants in a souvenir photograph with stakeholders (Photo: Patrick Joubert)

Twenty-seven young Seychellois will have the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience of working in organisations operating within the blue economy sector through the launch of Sids Youth Aims HUB (SYAH Seychelles) 4th Blue Economy Internship Programme (BEIP).

The programme seeks to attract and inspire young people aged between 15 and 30 years old to pursue career opportunities within the sector.

The youth-led organisation have partnered with fourteen local bodies where the youths will spend three weeks during the December to January school holidays to obtain work experience in prospective blue economy careers.

After the three-week programme the interns will follow a fully funded educational trip to Mauritius to discover the development and regional collaboration of the Blue Economy within the region.

The programme, in partnership with the department of the Blue Economy and funded by the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) –an environmental trust fund organistation – and the Echebastar Indian Ocean tuna purse seine fishery, was launched on Saturday morning by Echebastar representative Gaetan Pierre in the presence of SYAH’s vice-president Erna Victor and other stakeholders.

He thanked the participants for choosing to learn about the blue economy and hopes to see some of them pursue careers in this important sustainable sector.

In the absence of SYAH president Kalsey Belle, Ms Victor said the BEIP is an illustrious example of the successes achieved when various stakeholders come together to reach one goal which is to broaden the horizons and career prospects of youths in the blue economy sector.

She noted that the programme has since its first edition in 2016, gained momentum and grown in popularity with more youths seeking to join.

“Beginning with 19 participants in 2016, the BEIP has seen the participation of 85 youths with a constant increase in number of applicants as demand and interest grows among the youth. Many of these youths have obtained further internship or job opportunities within their host organisations or proceeded for further studies within the blue economy spectrum,” she said, noting that it also addresses the 3 sustainable development goals, namely: SDG 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower women and girls; SDG 8 – Decent work and economic growth and SDG 14 – Life below water.

Besides gaining work experience, the programme will allow the youths from Mahé, Praslin and La Digue to build transferable skills while also providing a platform to interact with like-minded youth and network with business owners and entrepreneurs.

Their day-to-day experiences and newly acquired knowledge will be documented and they will be published on social media platforms and the SYAH Seychelles website to aid in sensitising the Seychelles youths and the wider population on the blue economy. On the other hand it will allow employers to identify, build relationships and potentially recruit future employees.

Eighty-five (85) youths have been provided with the blue economy internship opportunity since SYAH-Seychelles first launched the programme in 2016.

Fifteen-year-old Keanu Hoarau from Mont Fleuri secondary school said he has been an ocean fanatic since a small child but as he is not so sure if he wants to pursue a career in the blue economy sector, he joined the programme to see if that is really what he wants to do.

Seychelles Trading Company part-time worker Elza Morel said that as she is a Seychelles Maritime Academy graduate, she wanted to explore the opportunity offered as she wanted to find a career in her field of study.

As for University of Seychelles student, Stana Mousbe, who is on her second internship after a first in 2018, she said she wants to experience some field work as her first internship with the Seychelles Energy Commission was office based. She will be working with the Island Conservation Society (ICS) on Silhouette.

Upon delivering her past experience Kelsy Gill said that it had got her to be more involved and engaged in activities, adding that having joined SYAH as a member had seen her being chosen for a three-week visit to the cold Artic in July 2019.

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