Senior citizens are assets that have provided their service to society for their whole time. But, are we giving enough to these old souls? Do they have enough privileges in our society to cater to their financial and emotional needs? Now the senior citizens have an opportunity with Careem internship for seniors.
Inspiration for Careem Intership for Seniors
Senior citizens are usually a step back in this fast-paced society where technology is becoming overpowered. Thus, this 4-week internship program will train these old people to get acquainted with the technological ecosystem. The program is based on the movie “The intern” to provide the elderly aged people.
“These days, inspiration can come from anywhere and I am proud to say that we are using creative and unconventional sources of inspiration such as movies to introduce new ideas in the business world,” says Bilal Soomro, the People Engagement Partner at Careem.
Along with this movie inspiration, Careem took a step further to fill the gap within the market where no work was done for the seniors. The medical sciences are improving over time which is increasing the lifespan of people in Pakistan. So, there are over 15 million citizens who are above 60 years. It is an age where most people resign from their jobs and are usually dependent upon their youngsters to provide them with their basic needs. It is a point where they have to rely on others for their emotional and financial needs that results in low self-esteem.
Careem internship for seniors accumulated personal stories from the elderly aged people. It was a motivation to start this project. Because there was no other formal or informal opportunity for the seniors to learn something and utilize their skills at a later age. These are some people who are willing to serve through their skills and keep themselves engaged. Careem internship for seniors will help to upskill the old people.
Criteria for Participation
The long experience of these senior interns will also bring ideas and knowledge to the business. The target audience of this project is people above 50 years of age. Any elder citizen from any field of the industry can participate in this program. The only criteria to participate are curiosity and willingness to learn. Otherwise, old business owners, retired professionals, and even old non-working parents can also sign up for Careem internship for seniors.
Up till now, Careem has received above 200 applications from around Pakistan. It means that there are a lot of people who want to learn something new. The company has to shortlist 1-3 of the total applicants. Because it is a new initiative by Careem and each individual who is participating has some high hopes to learn something.
Soomro said, “Having too many interns, that too in a program being launched for the very first time, we may lose focus, therefore we decided to keep fewer candidates.” His motive is to provide proper attention and care to every intern so they can understand the project easily. This new program is insinuating enthusiasm in the team as well as the participants.
Challenges
The project is not as easy as it seems because the mind processing of elderly people becomes slow over time. Another aspect of the challenge is that these old people need to take some time to learn new things about technology. They have to learn things that they have never learned before. But the team is taking no potential challenges as a demotivation. “Most startups are afraid to fail which is why they don’t experiment with new ideas. However, at Careem, we are always encouraged to work on new and creative initiatives. Nobody ever tells us to not do something only because it might fail,” added Soomro.
In short, careen internship for seniors will work for the well-being of individuals by listening to their knowledge and ideas and by training them to survive in the fast-paced technological world. This is an initiative started by Careem but this is not enough. There should be more work done to fill the underlying gaps in the market and society. The challenges and gaps need identification to maximize the benefits to society.
