Our Managing Director, Simon Foot, benefited thirty-seven years ago from a studentship posting in Zambia on a programme financed by DFID. Such tailor-made junior positions for young development professionals are less common these days, creating a challenge both for the business and for young people from all backgrounds seeking experience.

As our Company starts out it is part of our concept to try to rectify this. For the time being we have two interns from amongst our own group, and we shall ask our partners to make space for their growth and development. But as the company expands we intend to offer full-time one-to-two year studentship positions for young talent from different parts of the world.

 

These will be part-financed through the profits made by the Company. A core element of the approach we will promote amongst these young people is “demand-driven development,” learning to work in accordance with local circumstances and needs, not imposing views delivered from the developed world.