May
10
2019

Malawian students share views on gaining work experience

Malawian Students studying in Scotland shared their views on the topic of gaining hands-on work experience to complement study and academic qualifications.

The Scotland Malawi Partnership and the Association of Malawians in Scotland met at the University of Strathclyde in May to hear the views of Malawian students in Scotland on the topic of gaining hands-on work experience to complement study and academic qualifications.

The meeting was organised after an interest in work experience and internships was expressed at our Further and Higher Education Forum in November last year.

We were keen to learn more from Malawian students studying in Scotland about their interests in this area.

The aim of the meeting was to explore what such work experience would look like, the challenges or limitations there are to this, what opportunities are sought and to identify clear next steps.

The gathering was chaired by Dr Yonah Matemba of the SMP and University of the West of Scotland with input from AMS’s Alphaeus Ngonga and the active participation of eleven Malawian Students.

Dr Matemba invited discussion around the key questions of 'what do we want?' , 'what do we mean?' and 'what are the possible pitfalls?'

During the conversation that followed these main points were raised:

'Built-in' work experience

Some academic subjects, for example medicine and nursing, have work-experience built in, but others such as business and marketing don't - or perhaps not until fourth year. Graduates of these disciplines may be at a disadvantage with employers saying that they “lack practical experience”.

Work experience has to be real

Some have been studying for five years and not had any work experience opportunities. Others note that, in theory, there is work-experience built into courses but the relationships with industry can be weak and the input unsatisfactory. There is an expectation in Malawi that when you return you will have experience and clear ideas and proposals and be able to ‘hit the ground running’, so genuine work experience is essential.

Work experience abroad

There is value in gaining work experience in another country, such as Scotland before returning to Malawi as this will be seen by employers as international experience.

Timing of work experience

There was a range of opinion as to the best point at which to undertake work experience. It could be too tough to do so in the midst of a Masters, but after a dissertation has been completed there is often some time left in the visa that has been granted for the UK before return to Malawi Tier 4 visas allowing for 16 months. This would need to be checked with the UK Government and how many hours of work would be permitted under this visa. It was suggested this is 20 hours when studying and had no limit after the course is completed.

Financing work experience

There was discussion about the ability to self-finance and whether unpaid internships were viable and how different employers in the UK and Malawi might approach unpaid versus paid internships. It was noted that volunteering is a well-established practice which provides work experience opportunities and this was warmly received.

Assistance with finding work experience

There’s an interest in getting help to find jobs back in Malawi post-study. Malawians are 'cheaper to employ' than non-Malawians, one Malawian student stated. The SMP could help facilitate broadly and offers to help spread the word about the appetite for this from Malawian students in Scotland but it isn’t in its mandate to find placements and arrange jobs.

Making contacts and planning ahead

Once it is known that Malawians are definitely coming to Scotland to study, they might usefully liaise with the Malawi Scotland Partnership (MaSP) and establish contact with the SMP to start planning ahead, together with University International Recruitment Offices. More fruitful engagement with University Careers’ Services might be brokered as well, beyond their just forwarding links to students. More advertising in Malawi of MaSP would be welcome. A gathering in Malawi of those who have already studied there and those who have been accepted to do so would be positive and useful for those coming to Scotland.

Hard copy versus online

There is an appetite from some students for leaflets from SMP members describing their work and outlining opportunities - postings on websites being seen as not enough, especially for those who self-identify as less comfortable with technology. The SMP appreciated the reminder about the value of hard copy as part of its dissemination activity, noting also the onus on students actively to seek out opportunities, it being a ‘two way street’. Dr Matemba noted that there can be a cultural difference of approach in this respect.

Further participation

The SMP might consider how to make events such as Malawi Cross-Party Groups better known to the Malawian diaspora and more attractive to them. It was noted that there are up to 200 Malawians living in Scotland, plus their children. AMS has a meeting on July 6 to which all participants are invited. All participants were also warmly invited to join the SMP.

The following actions were taken away from the meeting:

  • Invitations to join the SMP will be extended to all who are not currently members.
  • A note of this meeting will be posted on the SMP’s website and sent to participants who provide e-mail addresses.
  • The SMP and AMS will reflect on the points raised, share with the Malawi Scotland Partnership (MaSP).
  • The SMP will reflect on and take action to spread the message regards Malawian Students in Scotland seeking hands-on work experience/internships/volunteering opportunities and consider convening opportunities.
  • The SMP will bear in mind that some prefer hard copy publications to electronic.
  • The SMP will come back to participants by end of June 2019 regarding next steps.

Download a PDF of the full minutes of the Malawian students gaining work experience in Scotland meeting here.

Listening to Malawian Students in Scotland May 24th 2019