By Kingsley Webora TANKEH
First Bank Ghana has launched its Junior Internship Programme 2025 to give young schoolchildren, between the ages of 10 and 14, an opportunity to experience first-hand how work life is essential to guiding their future career paths – aiming to revolutionise career exploration long before secondary school and university.
The two month-internship programme starts from Monday, July 14, 2025 to September 12, 2025 at all 30 branches of First Bank Ghana across the country.
Often students make career choices, though uncertain, during secondary school without real-world exposure. Therefore, this programme offers students aged as young as 10 years a unique two-month immersion into the world of banking.
The Managing Director of First Bank Ghana, Mr. Victor Yaw Asante, acknowledged that: “Students start thinking about courses and professions at secondary level, often guided solely by parental influence, with zero exposure.
“We want them to experience the workplace before making those pivotal decisions. What better way to understand a profession than an internship?” he quizzed.
The programme moves far beyond the stereotypical image of banking. “Most people think banking is just counting money, collecting and giving,” Mr. Asante noted.
“We show them it is infinitely more complex.”
Participants engage in practical, age-appropriate activities designed to spark their interest and build foundational skills.These include customer interaction, operations, basic procedures and field exposure – and in many cases the kids shadowing and reporting on what they have experienced.
“It’s about appreciation, not expertise,” Mr. Asante emphasised. “You won’t become a banker in two weeks, but you can gain invaluable insights in the discipline – showing up on time, following routines, reporting to supervisors – and the vast array of roles within the sector.”
Cognisant of the notion that the biggest dream starts small, First Bank Ghana has put together this programme in partnership with popular product companies to give schoolchildren a smooth ride into fulfilling future careers.
The partners include Awake mineral water, Kivo, Gino, Pepsodent, Kiki juice drink, Top-Up Pharmacy, Junior Graphic and the Ghana National Council of Private Schools.
Recognising diverse interests, the programme offers flexibility. While branch activities are often limited to account opening, customer service and a few other services, students expressing interest in specific areas like IT, Finance or Treasury can be placed in specialised departments at the bank’s head office in Accra.
The programme was first launched 3 years ago and has seen enormous participation, with over 300 students taking part in it last year.
“The feedback has been phenomenal,” Mr. Asante shared. “Testimonials on social media, heartfelt letters from children and parents… it’s been overwhelmingly positive. Demand is so high, we have to ask that previous participants step aside to make space for new faces.”
However, the bank is targetting 500 students to participate in this year’s programme.
Participation requires that the student be a First Bank Ghana junior account holder with a minimum balance of GH¢300. Parents or guardians need their Ghana Card and a passport, weighing card or birth certificate of their child to open an account.
Existing customers simply need to ensure that their balance meets the threshold and then complete an application form.
Victor is calling on parents to bring their children to participate in the programme.
“Come and try this. You will never regret it. It exposes you to what banking is – and what it isn’t – helping you make informed career decisions beyond just medicine or piloting. Speak to those who came before; they’ll tell you. Experience it for yourself!”
The Junior Internship Programme provides a certificate of participation after completion, an opportunity to win exciting prizes from the partner companies, some culinary sessions with Gino’s MasterChef, an opportunity to win up GH¢4,000 from an essay competition and educational tours to the manufacturing plants of some partner companies.
