By: Hee-Dee Walenga
Choppies Namibia launched a graduate programme and strategic partnership with the International University of Management (IUM) and Triumphant College yesterday morning.
The three institutions made the partnership official by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Windhoek.
The programme will train up to ten new graduates from each academic institution to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge needed for them to join the workforce, an issue that has plagued many Namibian graduates in recent years.
The programme will train up to 10 graduates from each academic institution in various disciplines such as store operations, ICT, finance, store management, and customer service over the course of 12 months.
Speaking at the launch, Choppies Group HR Manager, Molatedi Kgotla, noted that the programme has been running for the past 5 years in Botswana. Kgotla is a product of the programme, starting off as an intern in the immigration department in Botswana.
“The programme has produced store managers, departmental heads, regional managers, and future leaders within our group. We bring this same belief, vision, and commitment to Namibia,” Kgotla expressed.
Kgotla revealed that the retailer held discussions with a number of Namibian universities regarding the initiative at the start of the year, but only the two aforementioned institutions agreed to form the partnership. “We believe once the programme is rolled out, more universities will come on board,” Kgotla added.
Triumphant College Rector, Professor Geoffrey Kiangi, stated that the partnership solves an issue that graduates all over the world are experiencing – being branded as ‘not industry ready.’
“I thank Choppies for engaging Gen Z productively. We provide education and the industry says we are not producing industry-ready graduates,” Kiangi stated. Such collaborations between academic institutions and the industry address that problem.
IUM Vice Chancellor, Professor Osmund Mwandemele, described the collaboration as unique and encouraged other corporate entities to follow. “You are going to change many lives by providing this opportunity,” he remarked.
Choppies Namibia HR Manager, Wilka Leonard, who started as a trainee manager, told The Villager that the MoU fills critical gaps in the job market. “As we know in Namibia, job postings require a year or two of experience. We want to give our graduates that experience, so they can take up the job opportunities in the market,” Leonard stated.
Choppies hails from Botswana, where they operate over 100 stores and employ 6,000 people. In Namibia, Choppies operates 23 stores with a workforce of 1,124 employees.
