Every 19 months, Design without Borders announces vacancies. Norwegian designers can apply for positions in Uganda and Guatemala, and Ugandan and Guatemalan designers can apply for internships in Norwegian businesses.
The positions are announced through the universities in our two partner countries, on norskform.no, finn.no and in the newsletter of Norsk Form., the Foundation for Design and Architecture in Norway.
Design without Borders has a vacancy for an industrial designer in Uganda starting 5 November 2012 to 31 May 2014. The application deadline is 20 August 2012.
Volunteering for Design without Borders
Design without Borders does not have any organised projects for volunteers. However, from time to time there are projects where you may be able to contribute. If you wish to work as a volunteer, send a cv and a short letter of application explaining why you want to volunteer, what your skills and strengths are, and when you will be able to work. We file all applications and will be sure to contact you if there is an opening for voluntary work.
Would you like to be a host company?
Every 19 months we seek Norwegian host companies who would like to work with a designer from Uganda or Guatemala for about one year. The company must have a concrete need for a designer, and have the capability of following up and developing the designer both professionally and socially.
Norsk Form funds the designer’s wages, and pays for his or her accommodation, while the company provides the language course and any equipment and work tools which the designer needs for his or her work. The designer will be hand-picked for the job and company in question. The company and Norsk Form jointly define responsibilities and duties, as well as qualification requirements and personal qualities.
You can read more about the internship scheme here
What qualifications and skills do designers from the developing world offer?
Design is a young discipline in Uganda and Guatemala and needs to become more established. But in both countries the field is undergoing rapid development, a trend which Design without Borders is contributing to through its collaboration with the universities of Makerere and Landívar. In Guatemala, Landívar University offers a fully-fledged university-level design programme, and most of the designers recruited by Design without Borders have trained at Landívar.
There are no specific training programmes for designers in Uganda, and most Ugandan recruits are therefore engineers, architects, graphic designers, and, sometimes, artists. All Design without Borders staff have creative and analytical skills that match the needs of the company in question. The designers take part in a three-week preparatory course run by the Peace Corps, and a four-week course in Norwegian language.
Design without Borders receives many inquiries. We are pleased that so many people care about the things we work with. However, our administration team is very small, and our main focus is following up our projects. Therefore, it may take a while until we are able to get back to you.