From classrooms to the world of press offices, Teresa António, Kieza Vitangui and Adilson Maurício experienced step by step the hustle and bustle with which the entire ISENTA team carries out their work. As of April 8, the three students from the 4th year of the Portuguese Language and Communication course at the Methodist University of Angola (UMA) began to practice knowledge hitherto confined to academic manuals.

For Teresa António, “the internship was very productive and enriching, since it allowed us to solidify and expand the knowledge about institutional communication that we acquired at the university”. “From my first day to date, proactivity and fraternity were the features that stood out most among my colleagues, who gave me important guidance to understand the client's positioning, define objectives, segment the target audience, define channels, establish schedules and analyze results,” he comments.

Kieza Vitangui also makes a positive assessment. “During the internship, I developed skills in organizing events and contacting journalists and media outlets, I learned to monitor the news on radio, TV and online portals, to create strategies through communication plans, and to interact with different audiences, including clients,” she testifies. At the same time, he indicates, “the experience provided a deeper understanding of the role of the press office and Public Relations in strengthening the reputation and image of companies in the market”.

In addition to the points mentioned by his colleagues, Adilson Maurício highlights the personal challenges that the internship made him face. “During the preparation of the actions, I had to overcome the fear of talking to people I didn't know. I think that we should take advantage of these opportunities to improve our interpersonal relationship, create bonds, break personal fears and be open to the guidance of professionals who, with their experience, help us understand this world of advice,” she says.

The two-month experience, about to end, was made possible thanks to an agreement between ISENTA and UMA, which opened the door to the professionalization of future communicators and Public Relations professionals. According to Flávio Neto, administrator of the communication agency and coordinator of the internship program, “the internship program allows interns to experience the daily life of an agency, to observe and apply in practice the best techniques and tactics of press office and public relations, allowing them to shorten their time in the knowledge journey”.
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As he explained, “the process involves the sharing of knowledge and is not limited to transmitting technical skills, but also indicating that the path to becoming a good professional is the result of a lot of reading, attitude, general knowledge on various topics and never forgetting ethical issues”.

The ISENTA internship program will soon receive new students and should be extended to other higher education institutions in the country, within the framework of the company's social responsibility policy and the commitment to contribute to the quality education of the next public relations professionals.

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