SNC Seeks Internship Providers, Homes for South African Young Entrepreneurs

Incline Village, NV – Sierra Nevada College President Robert Maxson announced that the Northern Nevada International Center (NNIC) and Sierra Nevada College at Lake Tahoe have been awarded a $352,000 grant by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to host 25 South African entrepreneurs over a two-year period. Sierra Nevada College’s partnership with the NNIC will provide (non-paid) internships for two sets of 12-13 young entrepreneurs (ages 25-35). The first group will arrive in Reno mid-February and we are seeking both internship providers and home hosts for the visitors. The ideal business hosts would be engaged in the following fields within the Reno-Tahoe area: IT or telecommunications, land surveying/GIS, tourism and hospitality, film production, fashion/clothes designing, carpentry, and environmental conservation. Internships will last five weeks and visitors will intern Monday through Thursday each week from February 15th through March 18th. On Fridays, the interns will be studying to receive an entrepreneurship certificate through Sierra Nevada College.

The benefits to businesses for hosting a South African entrepreneur are manifold—the young entrepreneurs will bring fresh ideas and creative energy to their internship hosts while they learn about American business practices. Additionally, selected U.S. mentors will travel to South Africa for 10 days in September to follow up with the interns, provide coaching for other start-up businesses, and learn about the South African business climate. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), South Africa has the lowest entrepreneurial activity rate of all developing countries. It also has the lowest rate of new company start-ups. The Young Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) is aimed at increasing the understanding of the linkage between entrepreneurism and free markets, creating business relationships, and stimulating entrepreneurial activity.

Businesses interested in participating in this project by hosting a young entrepreneur should contact Mary Lewellen at mlewellen@sierranevada.edu or Emily Rhodenbaugh at erhodenbaugh@sierranevada.edu.