Scientific Services

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Internship Programme aims to increase employability and help graduates transition from a learning environment into a working one by providing relevant work experience and skills development. The year-long internship is seen as a year of opportunity and growth. Through careful evaluation and screening of applicants, WWF links potential candidates with various host organisations who then invite and interview potential interns. WWF provides final approval to appoint selected interns.

The programme is a collaboration between WWF and various host organisations who share responsibility in ensuring the programme’s ultimate success. Importantly, interns are guided by a dedicated mentor within each host organisation. Together, the mentor and intern develop a plan for growth and development which is assessed each quarter. By embedding an intern within a host organisation it is expected that the intern will be exposed to a range of activities and networking opportunities. For this to occur the mentor needs to ensure that the intern becomes an integral and active participant within the organisation. The intern is also supported by various WWF-lead training workshops. During these workshops interns are exposed to ideas around career possibilities within the environmental sector, career planning and development, holistic wellness and various workplace competencies, including managing workloads, rights and responsibilities, communication and learning from feedback.

SANParks was host organisation for 2021/2022 internships, taking in five interns working in diverse areas of park planning, scientific services and veterinary wildlife services. Based on the partnership success, SANParks is again hosting interns from the 2023/2024 cohort. We look forward to another opportunity to host and mentor, nurture and hopefully inspire some budding conservation scientists.

This article was originally published in the 2022/2023 Research Report.