Challenges and Strategies of Implementing the Philippine Government Internship Program during Covid-19 Pandemic

Programs of the government like the government internship program (GIP) aim to attract the best human capital to become part of government service. However, the implementation of such program particularly in the hiring, monitoring & evaluation phases became challenging as consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, this paper focused on determining the challenges met and the strategies applied with regard to the implementation of the said government program across the identified phases. Using a case study design, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with purposively selected participants. Through the thematic framework of Braun and Clarke, emerging themes were deduced from the transcripts of the interviews. Findings revealed that challenges encountered include processing, schedule, major turn out of applicants, withdrawal of beneficiaries, behavior and competency, which existed in both hiring and monitoring & evaluation phases. In addition, the strategies implemented include target setting, proposal preparation, implementation, making of accomplishment report, weekly submission and collection of report, and completion internship. The study concludes that the implementation of the Philippine Government Internship Program met various challenges as the landscape of society changed due to the presence of COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the carrying agency of the government internship program navigated its way to implement effectively despite the circumstances by applying several strategies like target setting, proposal preparation, implementation, accomplishment report making, submission and collection of report, and internship completion. Finally, the facts demonstrated that in the implementation of a program such as this, resiliency along with professionalism and commitment remained critical for its success despite the catastrophic calamities such as the COVID-19 pandemic.