Project Coordinator

Purpose of the role

The Provincial Project Coordinator supports the Project Manager in delivering the internship placement programme in their province, from screening and placing TVET college candidates to monitoring them at their host employers until they complete their internship.

The coordinator is GrowthArch's face on the ground: visiting host employers, checking on interns, reviewing and signing off logbooks, and picking up issues early so they can be resolved or escalated to the Project Manager.

Key responsibilities

Intern sourcing, screening and vetting

• Liaise with TVET colleges in the province to collect intern lists and supporting documents.
• Screen qualifications against programme and host employer requirements.
• Collect and verify documents for vetting, including IDs, qualifications and academic records.

Placement with host employers

• Help map interns to host employers as close as possible to their homes.
• Coordinate signing of host employer and intern agreements before placements start.
• Support intern onboarding and workplace inductions at host employers.

Monitoring at host employers

• Conduct scheduled site visits to host employers to monitor interns' attendance, conduct, progress and wellbeing.
• Review interns' logbooks during visits, checking that entries are complete, accurate and reflect relevant work experience.
• Sign off logbooks in line with programme requirements, and follow up where entries or mentor sign-offs are missing.
• Meet with workplace mentors and supervisors to get feedback on each intern's performance.
• Identify and resolve placement issues such as absenteeism, disputes or early exits, escalating to the Project Manager where needed.
• Record every visit in a site visit report with supporting evidence.

Reporting and administration

• Maintain an up-to-date provincial tracker of interns, host employers, visits and logbook status.
• Submit weekly provincial progress reports to the Project Manager.
• Keep accurate, POPIA-compliant intern records and portfolios of evidence for funder reporting and audits.
• Support completion processes, including final logbook sign-off and close-out documentation.

Stakeholder coordination

• Act as the day-to-day contact for TVET colleges, host employers and interns in the province.
• Build good working relationships with host employers to keep placements stable.
• Coordinate logistics for provincial meetings, events and stakeholder engagements.

Minimum requirements

Qualifications

• National Diploma or degree in Human Resource Management, Education and Training, Project Management, Business Administration or a related field.
• Valid South African driver's licence (Code B or higher) and willingness to travel extensively within the province.

Experience

• At least 2-3 years of experience coordinating internships, learnerships, work-integrated learning or other skills development programmes.
• Experience monitoring participants at workplaces and reviewing logbooks or portfolios of evidence.
• Experience preparing reports and maintaining records for funders or audits.

Advantageous

• Experience working with TVET colleges, SETAs or host employers.
• Good knowledge of the province's towns, industries and employers.
• Access to a reliable vehicle for site visits.
• Proficiency in a language widely spoken in the province, in addition to English.

Skills and competencies

• Highly organised, with the ability to manage many interns and site visits at once.
• Strong attention to detail when reviewing logbooks and records.
• Proficient in MS Office, especially Excel, and comfortable with trackers and reports.
• Clear, confident communicator with interns, mentors, employers and college staff.
• Proactive in following up and escalating issues early.
• Able to work independently in the field with minimal supervision.
• High integrity and discretion when handling personal information.
• Genuine commitment to youth development and job creation.