19 Sep 2019

Majwe Mining Joint Venture on Wednesday launched its inaugural graduate trainee programme to equip graduates from various disciplines with the necessary work experience and prepare them for the world of work.

Speaking at the inauguration, Majwe Mining’s human resource manager, Mr Innocent Fihlani said one of the reasons they came up with the programme was to try and create a pool of work ready employees for their company.

He said they realised that they faced challenges when they lost employees, either through retirement or for greener pastures.

He said the pool of graduates would act as a feeder for Majwe Mining. “These days the working environment is very competitive, so we need to groom the next leaders to guide the business,” he said.

He said they were also preparing graduates to go solo on personal business ventures. Mr Fihlani hailed the launch of the programme as a milestone for the company, especially that it encompassed a wide range of disciplines such as engineering, communications and finance among others.

He said it would also come handy for the few selected as research indicated that youth were the ones feeling the brunt of unemployment regardless of the qualifications they possessed.

He said it was their hope to absorb most of the trainees, and that they were confident that even those that were not absorbed would easily find employment as they would be industry savvy and experienced as preferred by many employers.

“This programme is our effort at bridging the gap between educational qualifications and industry experience. It is sort of a skills transfer vehicle,” he said.

Debswana Jwaneng Mine training coordinator for engineering, Mr Njabulo Gilika also implored the graduate trainees to work hard so as to impress their superiors and boost their chances of being absorbed. He advised them to live and practice the values of their host company and leave a lasting legacy at the end of their two-year tenure. He added that by so doing, they would also be helping the company to equally leave a positive legacy.

“Every profession has its expectations and regulations, so it will be expected of you to abide by such during your two-year tenure here. This programme is only a part of your journey into the world of work, so do not sit on your laurels and think you already made it,” he cautioned.

Mr Gilika also said the quarterly panel reviews that the graduate trainees would be subjected to would come handy as a feedback tool on how to improve their efficiency.

Speaking on behalf of the graduate trainees, Mr Rafiki Lisindi, an accountant graduate trainee, said the opportunity they had been accorded by Majwe mining was a rare one that they would forever be grateful for, especially as they had been idling due to unemployment.

He said apart from giving them the much needed industry experience, it was also their hope that they would give back to the company by helping it grow.

He hailed the initiative as a good gesture, adding that human resource was the best resource that any company could have.

He also said it was good that Majwe Mining was investing in such a resource. Seventeen graduate trainees were selected for the programme. ENDs