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Private sector heeds government call to assist university graduates – 5-day career starter workshop conducted

Private sector heeds government call to assist university graduates – 5-day career starter workshop conducted

In response to the government’s recent call for the private sector to make more concerted efforts to assist young graduates, Bank Windhoek joined forces with the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and B360 Education Partnership.

With the high unemployment rate, especially among university graduates, finding an internship or entry-level job being a challenge, the trio recently hosted 20 NUST graduates for a five-day Career Starter Workshop in Windhoek.

Aimed at coaching graduates on how to secure employment in a highly competitive job environment, the attendees welcomed the initiative as they received training on professional job interview preparedness, convincing application documentation, basic understanding of business functions, project planning and management skills to mention but a few.

The five-day workshop, was facilitated by Switzerland-based B360 Education Partnership, a non-governmental organisation comprising a pool of professionals in numerous disciplines such as Business Management, Civil Engineering, Communication, Economics, Finance and Accounting, Human Resources, Journalism, Marketing, Mechanical Engineering, Small Medium Enterprises Development and other career fields.

These experts, with proven experience in lecturing and training at an international level, also share their subject-matter and business-based knowledge and expertise with public and private sector organisations in Southern Africa and Europe. The tailor-made assignments can take the form of seminars, workshops or project-based consultancies.

Bank Windhoek’s Recruitment Manager, Chantelle Reid, as well as Human Resources Business Partner Manager, Retuura Ballotti, joined the B360 Education Partnership facilitators as they exposed the graduates to group works, business case presentations and well as one-on-one job interview training. Supporting them was Bank Windhoek’s Recruitment Consultant, Benson Kalla. The Bank Windhoek team formed part of a group of local professionals who join the B360 Education Partnership and NUST teams to present various modules during the course of the weeklong workshop.

“Bank Windhoek understands how challenging it is for graduates to find a job after completing their studies. Through the smart partnership with NUST and B360 Education Partnership, Bank Windhoek believes that together we can positively impact the lives of these graduates by not only equipping and preparing them for the job market, but that we can also motivate them to carry a positive attitude as they look for employment. We wish them the best,” said Reid.

The graduates said that the Career Starter Workshop, with its interactive approach, was interesting as it stimulated discussion as well as teamwork. They all agreed that the initiative has motivated them to secure jobs in the near future. Certificates were later awarded to graduates at the end of the Career Starter Workshop.

A select number of the graduates will later have a six months’ internship opportunity at Credit Suisse, a multinational investment bank and financial services company based in Switzerland.


Caption: Empowering graduates: Bank Windhoek’s Human Resources Business Partner Manager, Retuura Ballotti, engages graduates on workable strategies to progress from education to employment.


 

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