Era Nehale

Working experience

On the 28th of February 2022, I started my virtual internship working with B360 where I was lucky enough to work for the prestigious dairy producing company in Switzerland known as Elsa Mifroma. On the second day of work, I received my job description which required me to conduct a validation report for various thermal treatment processes used by Elsa Mifroma to produce both their dairy and vegan products. From the interview, we had acknowledged the fact that I had no experience in conducting a validation plan and for this reason Elsa Mifroma recruited two interns. B360 brought in Prof. Rudolf Schmitt who was a food safety training to provide us with three weeks of training, and by the end of the training we were all confident that we could do the job. During my working experience with Elsa Mifroma, I worked closely with my line manager Mrs. Deborah Rollier and my mentor who provided me with all the necessary information about the products I was to validate. Although I already had four internships the virtual internship prepared me for the working environment most and I am leaving this internship as a changed person. The internship has shown me the importance of having fixed schedules and managing time. The research to produce the validation plan was not an easy one to complete as acquiring the literature was much harder than we all had anticipated. Hence it was a disappointment not to have achieved our goals within the set time of the internship. However, my colleague and I are motivated to continue researching. I am grateful to Elsa Mifroma for taking a chance with me and for installing me with new skills and knowledge in an area in which I had not known I lacked but most highly needed.

Cultural exchange and B360 programs

As a part of the virtual internship, I was lucky enough to receive training on an ICT course, emotional intelligence module, office etiquette as well as career starter course. This course helped to groom me to become better and prepared me fully for the labor market. I gained confident in myself as a young unemployed graduate to have the courage to pitch myself to various employers in the labor market. Most especially I am grateful for the cultural exchange program through which I have learned a lot about the Swiss-world. My goal while participating in the cultural exchange was to gather as much knowledge about Switzerland with the hope of one day travelling to that area through the 80% reward. My host family the Federspiel has made me feel welcomed and have made my cultural exchange program a fun experience. It was through this program that I discovered that there is a lot I do not know about my very own country and that I needed to venture more into travelling Namibia.

Highlights and lowlights

The internship taught me a lot about teamwork and how to manage collaborating with individuals from diverse backgrounds. I remember I was late on my first day and I received a warning as a welcoming. I am happy to say that the warning has been my first and last. Punctuality was installed in me through this internship, and I have learned that African time is not an excuse to be late. From day two of the internship until my last day I have improved from a perpetual latecomer to an early bird.

I have faced a few difficulties in this internship such as internet glitches, poor communications, misunderstandings, and indifferences being the main cause of the problems. There were days I had lost motivation and I thank God that he created me to be a persistent being who does not give up easily. It is because of this trait that even after failing to deliver a complete report for Elsa Mifroma on time, my colleague and I are continuing to work after the program until we have written a quality report that we promised prior the internship. I do not regret having received the opportunity and hope that I am going to deliver a satisfactory report to Elsa Mifroma that can be of use to their organization.

Future Plans

I graduated during the internship; I want to be able to achieve much more than just an honours degree in Environmental Health Sciences. I plan to get a job that will allow me to make an impact within my community. I have plans to study further and pursue a post graduate study. While job hunting, I will also try to volunteer for various outreach programs that will help enhance my curriculum vitae. Furthermore, with my additional gained experience in food safety during my internship, I am now looking to venture more into that field of study.

Personal Message

I would like to extend my gratitude to Mrs. Sabina Balmer, Mr. Rudolf Schmitt, Mrs. Deborah Rollier, Ms. Charmain Jansen and all the stakeholders for their outstanding support network and wonderful learning experience. I believe this opportunity will be an immense help to me and my future endeavors.