Call for Expression of Interest (EoI) for placement of Groen Sebenza interns in host organisations

1. Introduction and Background

SANBI is a public entity mandated by the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act, (No 10 of 2004), to champion the exploration, conservation, sustainable use, appreciation and enjoyment of South Africa’s exceptionally rich biodiversity for all people.

The Institute provides knowledge and information, gives planning and policy advice and pilots best-practice management models in partnership with stakeholders and various Communities of Practice that have been established.

In 2009, the SANBI together with the biodiversity sector launched the Biodiversity Human Capital Development Strategy (BHCDS). The strategy has the following goals and aims to:

• Goal 1: Attract and increase the number of talented black South Africans into the biodiversity sector
• Goal 2: Increase the quality, relevance and levels of skills in the sector.
• Goal 3: Improve retention and effective deployment of skills in the sector
• Goal 4: Create enabling macro conditions for skills planning, development and evaluation in the sector.

The Groen Sebenza Phase II project is specifically aligned to strategic goals one and two above with a focus on strengthening the bridging into work component of the BHCDS. Groen Sebenza Phase II therefore aims to:

• Recruit and place unemployed graduates through an incubation period building and strengthening their capacity at various levels
• Provide opportunities for entrepreneurial thinking and permanent placement in organizations with opportunities beyond the funding for a minimum period of not less than one year,
• Strengthen different organisational development aspects including transformation in its totality, mentoring, proactive skills planning to better respond to organisational mandates and other national priorities
• Through research develop a ‘live’ skills intelligence system that will enable the sector to proactively plan for skills and track and trace the utilization of the developed skills.

Like its predecessor, Groen Sebenza Phase II aims to recruit unemployed young graduates into a sector wide programme that will contribute to the enhancement of their skills, strengthen organisations they are placed in through transformation of gender, race, age and organisational cultures. It is the funder’s requirements that 100% of the beneficiaries be unemployed youth (18-35), 90% of them be black, 70% female and 2% be people with disabilities.

The recruitment of beneficiaries will follow awareness raising by SANBI. Each qualifying host organisation will be expected to advertise the opportunities following the recruitment and selection guidelines that the SANBI will provide.

Host Organisations will be responsible to shortlist their own candidates that SANBI will sign off to ensure compliance to the funder’s requirements. A template in this regard will be provided by SANBI. Subsequently host organisations will conduct interviews as per their HR processes and provide a list of their recommended candidates to SANBI.

SANBI will provide guiding questions for interviews and the recommendation sheet template. From this point SANBI will be responsible to communicate with the recommended candidates.  SANBI will vet the candidates in terms of qualifications and criminal record and issue offers to qualifying candidates. The Letters of Appointments (LoAs) will indicate to the candidates the programme’s start date.

The South African National Biodiversity Institute is looking for organisations to host a cohort of interns with a total of 1050 interns for a period of 36 months. Invited organisations include government departments (all spheres), research institutions, universities, NGOs and the private sector; whose work requires environmental skills.

2. Host organisations’ obligations:

In order to serve as a host, the organisation must be able to fulfil the following requirements:

1. Conclude and sign placement partnership agreements with SANBI
2. Allocate suitable mentors to the hosted interns, a ratio of 1:3 is the ideal. Mentors must be either permanently employed or on long term contracts of a minimum of three (3) years.
3. Conduct induction of the organisation and divisions the interns are placed in
4. Include interns in all activities of the organisation including training, health, safety, wellness and others
5. Develop a work plan and training plan for the intern for the full period of employment.
6. Sign a mentor-mentee agreement with quarterly/biannual targets and, milestones.
7. Maintain an appropriate administrative system for interns.
8. Attend management and operations meetings, trainings and other activities organised by the programme.
9. Meet reporting, monitoring and evaluation obligations of the programme in a timely manner
10. Endeavour to place at least 50% of the allocated interns in permanent jobs during or at the end of the three-year programme period.
11. Scoping the demand for skills in the labour market and match these to the skills developed in the Groen Sebenza Programme
12. Have the necessary infrastructure for the intern to be able to work i.e., workstation, computer other equipment and operational costs.

3. SANBI’s obligations

1. Allocate suitable numbers of interns to qualifying host organizations
2. Negotiate and conclude placement partnership agreements with host organisations
3. Provide recruitment, selection and placement guidelines for host organisations
4. Provide recruitment support to host organisations where needed
5. Provide necessary approval for selected and recommended candidates
6. Vet the selected candidates
7. Appoint and pay stipends for interns
8. Provide funding for generic and life skills training in line with the approved budget
9. Provide funding for technical training and OPS requirements to host organisations in line with approved budget
10. Liaison, communication and reporting to funder
11. Lead required programme research
12. Provide mentor training in line with approved budget
13. Provide preplacement induction for interns

4. Submissions

SANBI is calling on all interested organisations to complete the Call for Expression interest form.

For enquiries please visit the Groen Sebenza page or email: GroenSebenza@sanbi.org.za.