Getting talent retention right, a lesson from O&L

The Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group of companies Talent Attraction Program (TAP) marked its 10th year intake of participants to its 2017 programme this week with its largest intake of 11 graduates.

Group Human Capital Director, Berthold Mukuahima said at the event that programme has shown its promise with huge successes of retaining more than 60% of all employees who took part.

“Candidates have already proven themselves to be successful in their development and careers, and most, if not all the TAP participants took bold stands to move the O&L Group closer to its 2019 Vision,” Mukuahima said.

O&L Executive Chairman, Sven Thieme, said that the TAP initiatives is vital for a learning organisation such as O&L that keeps striving for continuous improvement.

“Education and development, especially for our young and future generation(s) is one of the key elements in a prosperous future for our nation.,” he added.

Thieme encouraged the new intake to make full use of the granted opportunity and experience cautioning however that the success will mostly rely on their own efforts.

Some of the current O&L senior leadership team members are former TAP participants, which according to Mukuahima is what makes this programme special as the the participants have the opportunity to build careers within the group.

Adri Erwee, currently Pick n Pay (PnP) Namibia’s Human Resources Manager, who was one of the first TAP intakes in 2008 said that the experience has been extraordinary. “I have only grown from strength to strength since joining the O&L TAP program, and today I find myself proudly part of the leadership team.”

Another TAP success story is Neville Hembapu who joined the 2013 intakes. Currently a team leader, and part of management at Namibia Dairies’ Superfarm at Mariental. Hembapu said that the simple thing to do is to grab an opportunity like this with both hands and make full use of it. “As an individual you embrace your character and personality, and incorporate it with the O&L Values, which will be a magical step into the right direction”.