With the long summer holiday just a few months away, tertiary and secondary students are already searching for summer jobs. In line with this, telecommunications leader, Digicel, is now inviting applications to both its Graduate Recruitment Programme (GRP) and Summer Internship (SIP) Programme which begins in June.

Launched in 2008, Digicel’s GRP provides promising students at the tertiary level with real world experience in the areas of Information Technology, Technical, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Customer Care and Human Resource. Interested students must have a GPA of 3.3 or higher and be a member of a local tertiary institution.

Recruitment Manager at Digicel, Martin Thame, highlighted that a critical aspect of the GRP and SIP is providing the students with personal and career development. “Each student is paired with a mentor who is a senior manager in the business. These mentors are responsible for showing their intern the ins and outs of Digicel as well as guiding them on a path to a successful and fulfilling internship with the company.”

Thame added that, “We also use the GRP as an opportunity to screen prospective employees. In fact, several past GRP interns are currently working with us in either permanent or contract roles, so the programme definitely opens the door to greater opportunities for them.”

Romaine Craig, a GRP participant in 2013 who is currently employed as a software engineer said that, “Being fresh out of college, finding a job was difficult so I was really happy with the experience I gained from the internship programme. My mentor gave me a lot of personal and professional advice; which I put into practice to give me the advantage of being considered for a permanent position.”

Meanwhile, secondary students also have an opportunity to join one of the company’s dynamic teams through its Summer Internship Programme. This is geared at attracting students at the grade 10 (fourth form) level or higher who are mainly placed in administrative roles.

The graduate internship is offered for a period of 12 weeks while the Summer Internship Programme is for 12 weeks or less. “Digicel is committed to nation building and we recognise that education plays a critical role in this – so developing young minds and helping them to realise their potential is very important to us. These programmes, particularly the GRP has been a win-win for everyone involved,” noted Thame.

Interested students should submit their applications through the company’s website at www.digiceljamaica.com by April 30, 2014.