1 000s of grad jobs inside

DIRECT YOUR OWN FUTURE

Be your own boss Dress for success Ace the interview

PUSH YOUR BOUNDARIES

Take a gap year Keep reading, keep growing Gadgets for go-getters

2013

PLUS:

Take yourself to the next level

Auditor General

Auditor General

If

deeply

NAME: Pieter Venter DEGREE: MSc (Quantitative Risk Analysis) UNIVERSITY: North West RMB DEPARTMENT: Equities (Quantitative Unit) I like RMB because it is totally different from what one might expect from an investment bank and from the perceptions which are created on TV and in the news. Itis a laid-back, innovative space where people are encouraged to be themselves.

NAME: Zwivhuya Goodness Tshitovha DEGREE: BSc Hons (Computer Science) UNIVERSITY: UCT DIVISION: Business Technology I heard about RMB at a career fair held at UCT. Inever knew about RMB before the fair and had no idea that technology was so important to a bank. Myfriends all advised me that it would be boring working for a bank and that I would be doing the same thing all the time. But I applied for the RMB Graduate Programme anyway and I was offered a position in BusinessTechnology. Since starting at RMB, I have been doing exactly what I love to do writing codes for IT applications. At the moment I am a JAVA developer in the Reporting and Data Analytics (RADA) programme afinancial reporting and management system used in a number of RMB divisions. I enjoy, and would be happy to continue with, coding but I know there are other opportunities within RMB should I wish to pursuethem.

when we the

everything

It is great to be part of an extremely talented groupof people with whom I can share myexperiences.
It is an environment where people challenge you to grow and develop your knowledge. Here you are given responsibility rather than menial tasks. Ideasand innovation are far more important than rules andhierarchy. My degree has helped a great deal with my work, even though what I do now is very different from university. Being on the GraduateProgramme has helped with the transition and it has also been a good way to get to know people who are in the same situation as I am. It is great to be part of an extremely talented group of people with whom I can share myexperiences. At the moment, I am analysing the risk on the different positions taken by our equitiesteam. Fornow I just want to be a good quant analyst, butmaybe one day Iwill move into structuring and work with exoticoptions, whichare mypassion.

ll

high

t+

RMB
have lots

I had no idea that technology was so important to a bank.

RMB

will develop

+s

+ earn

More than anything, I have been impressed by the culture of the bank. Very little hierarchy exists here there are no dedicated parking bays or big offices for managers, and everyone wants to help and share no matter how long they have been with the bank or how important they may be. I have also been fortunate to be part of the network of RMB Graduates and I have never felt alone since Istarted working at the bank.

become

maker

willing accept a helping

Be a part of the equation.

RMB Graduate Programme 2013 is now open. Visit www.rmb.co.za to submit your CV before 23 August 2013.

FOREWORD

CREDITS
Published by
Student Village

CEO

Ronen Aires

managing editor
Fay Humphries

production writers

Anna van Rooijen Carel Alberts Clayton Swanepoel Cuan Humphries David A Steynberg Donovan Jackson Fay Humphries James van den Heever Lance Harris Marc Pienaar Rodney Weidemann Samantha Perry Samantha McGregor Sandy Goulding

At the GradX photoshoot: (L-R) Mpho, Anna, Fay, Witness, Tamsyn

FROM THE EDITORS DESK

Welcome to this years GradX the leading career development and graduate recruitment guide on South African campuses. Over the past decade, GradX has helped thousands of final-year students take a step into their future. Its packed with all the information youll need to find a job that works for you. Its here to prepare you for the world of work, keep you positive and upbeat as you search for your first permanent position, and guide you as you begin to direct your own future. Heres wishing you all the best as you start the next chapter in your life.

photogrpahy
Stoker Studio

sales

FirstRand

FROM THE CEOS DESK

As GradX 2013 goes to print, our beloved Madiba is still in a serious condition in hospital. What has he taught us that could possibly help you as a graduate kick start your career? He taught us to be human; to value forgiveness, compassion, optimism and hope. He taught us that courage and taking a stand for what you believe in, is a just reward in itself. All of this, together with continuous hard work, will help you to take your career to the next level. Be brave, learn from your mistakes, grow and stay positive, and you too will leave a legacy to be proud of.
*This luxuriously styled 1100-seat theatre is reminiscent of the opulence of the worlds great opera houses with its plush fittings and rich atmosphere. The Lyric has established itself as one of Jozis top entertainment venues, presenting world-class Broadway and West End productions, local and international musicians, ballet, comedy and much more. With a diverse entertainment offering, The Lyric is the home of entertainment in the South of Jozi. For more, go to www.goldreefcity.co.za

Fay Humphries Jonathan Dicks Marc Kornberger Ronen Aires Tamsyn Gordon

printer
CTP

general contact details

Student Village P O Box 432 Melrose Arch 2076 Tel: (011) 885 3918 Fax: (011) 885 2927

E INFINITpossibilities
CA Training Programme FirstRand CA Training Programme trainees gain experience across the unique federation of FirstRand businesses, all leading brands known for their entrepreneurship and innovation. Each year we select exceptional graduates for this prestigious programme, which has been running for the past 15 years. If you are a self-starter with an appreciation for substance over form, if you take pride in going beyond expectations and see no limit to your potential, you should talk to us email: catraining@firstrand.co.za

cover

Model: Iman from Ice Model Managament Styling and make-up: Make Up By Gina Photographer: Marc Shoul Location: The Lyric Theatre*

contents

contents

overview p12

A new world awaits you!

ICT p80

Inventing the future

tourism p128 further studies p134

Back to the books Mind the gap

Charting your course

Listings p167 COMPANY PROFILES

Accenture AGSA BDO FNB Grant Thornton PKF RCL Group Toyota Unilever Standard Bank

advertisers' index
Accenture 47, 81 AGSA 2 Anglo American 89, 91 AngloGold Ashanti 93 BAT 69 Blackberry 171 Bloomberg 63 BP 111 CIMA 21 Denel Dynamics 57 DStv 83 FirstRand Bank 7 FNB 35 Grant Thornton 23 Massmart 123 Mazars 25 McKinsey & Co. 49

Accounting p18
Accounting 101: develop, acquire, retain

mining p86

Lots to 'dig' in mining

banking p34
A career of interest

motoring p96 NGO p102

Motoring industry cruises through the downturn Doing it for the love

gap year p140

157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166

consulting p44
Tickets to consulting success

wardrobe p144
Stealing the spotlight

engineering p54
Engineers to save our planet

petroleum p108
Fuelling the engines of prosperity

entrepreneurs p150
Unlock your entrepreneurial spirit

finance p60 fmcg p66

8

Success follows passion a mantra for finance The need for speed

research & development p114

R&D: the lifeblood of evolution

BOOKS p155

Mr Price 125 NZG 117 Simba PepsiCo 71 PKF 27 Rainbow Chicken 73 Reckitt Benckiser 75 Rand Merchant Bank 4 SAA 131 SA Breweries Ltd 77 SANRAL 172 SNG 29 Standard Bank 39, 41 Teach SA 105 Toyota 99 Unilever 10,31 University of Johannesburg University of Witwatersrand

Keep reading, keep growing

137 139
9

retail p120
Love shopping?

gadgets p156

Goodies for go-getters

BECOME A FUTURE LEADER

Visit our website and like us on Facebook for more information on applications and when you can meet Unilever on campus.

UNILEVER INTERNSHIP AND GRADUATE PROGRAMME

Take our 400 powerhouse brands and the two billion consumers who use our products every day. Take a worldwide turnover of 51.3 billion and the 1 billion we invest each year on Research and Development. Take the millions of lives were improving through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. Take everything that makes us a world-leading company. And then double it.

This is the ambition weve set ourselves, to create a second Unilever. Its hugely ambitious, and its going to be .

Learn more and apply online now!

www.unilever.co.za/careers UNILEVER SA GRADS
Foreign nationals studying in South Africa can apply to be placed in one of the following Unilever territories. Placement will be based on business needs, consideration may be given to placement of successful candidates within their home country: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, DRC, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

overview

DIRECT YOUR OWN FUTURE

Fay Humphries

This is your life, your career. Success doesnt come by being stagnant.
Edith Chetty

You can get a job that works for you by following the advice of those that have gone before you. Welcome to the world of work where what you end up
achieving depends on how much effort you as an individual are prepared to invest. Yes thats right. You get to decide whether youre going to be in the spotlight or watching someone else become a star. Success isnt easy even for those of you who have shone while on campus. Neither is getting a job. But you can direct your own future simply by listening to and following the advice of those who have gone before you and know what theyre talking about when it comes to job-hunting. Take charge of your career, says Edith Chetty, career centre co-ordinator at the Varsity College Sandton Career Centre. This is your life, your career. Success doesnt come by being stagnant. Treat every little task you do with the utmost diligence and give 110%. Your first job-hunting step is to build the best CV possible. You get one chance to make a good impression, so dont

allow yourself to be eliminated in the first round, says Nazrana Parker, careers services co-ordinator at the Office for Student Development at the University of the Western Cape. Your job application documents should stand out above the rest. She adds: Recruiters do not hesitate to check your online profile. Make sure that your online presence reflects what you want them to see. Use LinkedIn and Facebook to your advantage. Make sure your CV is well written, says Katlego Molaudzi, graduate career office manager at the University of Pretoria. It should have a cover page as this is the brief introduction of yourself and what you have to offer. Make sure there are no spelling mistakes. If you have trouble with your CV go and get advice from your career

centre at your university. You can also access a host of career development and graduate recruitment websites to get advice on how to draw up your covering letter and your CV. Among these is www.gradx. net, where you will also find feedback from graduates who applied for jobs, and got them.

to work in, be it finance, manufacturing, banking, retail etc. Find out who the role players are and do research on them. Be aware of what is happening in the world at large, and how it impacts on the economy in general and the sector you are interested in in particular.

Ace the interview

Getting called in for an interview doesnt mean you can relax. In order to make the best impression possible, youll need to do some work before you sit down with a graduate recruiter. Asked what she believes graduates should do before arriving at an interview, Joanna Preston, graduate programme manager at FNB, says: Prepare by researching the company, but not just by looking at their corporate website. Look at recent articles in the
13

You might get a few regret letters, but keep trying and do not giveup.
Katlego Molaudzi

Once youve put together a great CV and made sure your online presence wont put potential employers off, you need to decide where to apply for ajob.
Be focused in your approach, says Wilna Naud, recruitment programme co-ordinator at the Centre for Student Counselling and Development at Stellenbosch University. Decide which sector of the economy you would want

12

overview

overview

One of my best experiences is when we had a telephonic interview with one of the graduates who joined our 2013 intake, says Dehn. He came with such a great energy. Ive never found myself laughing so much during an interview. The important thing was that he showed his personality, but at the same time he showed that he was serious about his future at BP. This is not to say that you should now go and research jokes. The point that I am getting to is that you should not be afraid to show off your personality, within reason ofcourse. Neisius believes that the best interviewing experience for both a graduate recruiter and a potential employee is when the interview becomes a two way conversation.

to let the interviewer know they will not be there on time, and those who arrive looking untidy. Dehn cautions against being too self-assured. Nothing turns off employers more than someone who is disrespectful and over-confident. As a graduate it is important to display the right attitude, especially that you are willing to learn.

losers. Close your mind tightly against all negative and discouraging influences, and your constant persistence will influence somebody to open the door for you, says Lillian Bususu, national graduate development manager at IIE Rosebank College.

press and take a look at what the company is doing on social media platforms. Be able to articulate why you want to work for the company. Tammy Dehn, talent management advisor at BP Southern Africa, echoes Prestons comments. One of two key things that you should do before coming for an interview is to conduct research on the organisation, she says,

as this will show that you have a genuine interest in the company.

You should also go through some practice questions, as this will help you be less nervous and be more prepared in terms of how to structure your answers during your interview. Tammy Dehn

Sarah Neisius, human resources talent officer at Grant Thornton Cape Town, has the following advice for those of you wanting to ace your interviews: Be well-presented and punctual, come prepared with your own questions, dont get too nervous and remember to be yourself.

The importance of displaying the right attitude as a graduate when applying for a job is one that most graduate recruiters feel strongly about.
And they are not alone. Career centre representatives have a similar view, as is evidenced by this feedback from Naud: Change your attitude from what can you offer me to these are the skills that I can bring to you.

What recruiters want

Honesty and accountability A quick learner A solid work ethic Leadership qualities Good organisational skills Ability to work in a team Resilience and reliability

What really works

Preston reflects on the best experience shes ever had during a graduate interview. I interviewed a student who was confident, well-prepared, honest about what she wanted from her career, but not arrogant or entitled. She understood herself and was able to easily chat about her strengths and areas for improvement without resorting to stereotypes like ' my weakness is that I'm impatient ...' or quoting the corporate website word for word.

This happens when the candidate is well-prepared, open and honest. Sarah Neisius
What not to do
Preston is emphatic on this point. Don't ask about salary. You should wait for the interviewer to introduce any discussions about what you willearn. Neisius says among her biggest turnoffs are graduates who run late for their interviews and dont call ahead

Dont give up
You might get a few regret letters, but keep trying and do not give up. The right opportunity will present itself, says Molaudzi. Dashen Reddy, psychological counsellor for student development at Monash South Africa, agrees. The search for a job that you are happy in can be nerve wracking and frustrating. The right job will come to you in the right time, he says. Action is what separates winners from

Some job-hunting sites

www.gradx.net www.careerweb.co.za www.careers24.com www.careerjunction.co.za www.jobmail.co.za www.jobrapido.com www.careerjet.co.za www.pnet.co.za
15

How to ace your interview

Research the company before the interview Show that you are interested by preparing some questions of your own Do a mock interview beforehand with a friend or familymember Arrive on time and make sure you are well-groomed Be yourself recruiters want to know who you are
14

ON THE WEB

GET IT ALL @ GRADX.NET

BUILD A FANTASTIC CV Without a great CV, your job hunt cant begin. Use the CV tool on www.gradx.net to put yours together. Follow the advice given for completing each section, choose a template and then press Save. Now all you need to do is send it to the companies youd like to work for - its that easy. ASK THE EXPERTS We dont expect you to have all the answers - thats our job. Click through to Ask the Experts on the site and type in your question. Our super-speedy search engine will bring up similar questions asked by other students. If you cant nd what youre looking for in the answers to those, then press Send and well get back to you pronto. GET A JOB There are a host of companies out there looking for new recruits. www.gradx.net has all the latest information on whats on offer and who is hiring. READ ALL THE NEWS All the articles from previous issues of GradX and up-to-the-minute news from the world of work can be found on the site.

GradX.net

GradX.net

EXPLORE OUR RESOURCE CENTRE Here youll nd a list of campus career centres, professional networks, ways and means to ace your interviews, advice on how to plan your gap year and much more. FUNDING YOUR STUDIES Finding enough money to pay study fees is always a challenge. Here youll nd bursaries for both undergraduate and post-graduate qualications, as well as some useful advice on study loans.

Facebook/GradX.net

@GradXcareers

ACCOUNTING

Shaun Croock from Grant Thornton

ACCOUNTING 101: DEVELOP, ACQUIRE, RETAIN

David A Steynberg

The keys to success in any sector are commitment and determination, as well as maintaining a positive attitude despite the circumstances. Completing my articles at a medium-sized firm gave me the opportunity to take on more repsonsibility earlier on in my career and learn from experienced managers. Shaun Croock
18

Passion, perseverance and positivity will help you journey from trainee accountant to professional. You may not have realised it, but the first time you got
pocket money as a child was more than likely your first encounter with accounting. You were given (or maybe you earned it) R50 and had to plan how you were going to use it that month: the choices were endless and you probably blew it all on sweets in one visit to the local cafe. You realised then that what you needed was a plan. In all likelihood, the next month you only used a portion of the money on sweets, with the rest going into the piggy bank, where it would stay until you had added enough money to it to buy what you really wanted. At the end of each month, you would diligently count the rands and cents (up to three times, just to be sure), make a note of what you had and how much you still needed to fulfil your desire. That was accounting in its most basic form. Those who were good at it got to buy the shoes they really wanted; those who

were not, managed to convince their parents to buy them for them. Accounting goes back thousands of years, and has undergone a number of changes. It continues to evolve due to business and transactions getting ever-more complicated and involved.

quisition are pretty constant year-onyear, says Gareth Low, national talent manager at multinational accountancy firm, Grant Thornton.

The South African condition

It is therefore important that a country like South Africa, with its growing business environment and a public sector that needs as much accountability for the public purse as possible, is flush with a pool of competent and morally sound accountants and auditors. Still, its a numbers game in SouthAfrica. The biggest challenges in the accounting sector affecting talent ac-

The shortage of talent of appropriate quality is limiting our ability to grow as quickly as we would like, and despite our standing as an international firm, we are still challenged by the requirements for building our BEE profile. Gareth Low
Grant Thornton is committed to transformation across all levels of the firm, and we are encouraged with the diverse representation of students that are applying to work with our firm and with our annual intake of graduates. The firm has managed to attract

some outstanding graduates. Shaun Croock, who has a BCom Accounting (Cum Laude) and BCom Honours in Chartered Accountancy (Cum Laude) from the University of Johannesburg, recently emerged as the top student in South Africa after writing his first SAICA board exam. Croock says he was fortunate to be awarded a bursary from Grant Thornton from his first year at varsity throughout his two degrees. One of the reasons, he explains, for choosing a bursary with Grant Thornton, was as a result of its medium size and friendly culture. I believed that completing my articles at a medium-sized firm would give me the opportunity to take on more responsibility earlier on in my career, and to spend time learning from more
19

ACCOUNTING

I WANT TO SH APE

ST RATEGY
AS WELL AS MY CAREER

experienced managers and partners in a closer work environment than at a bigger firm, he says. To become a chartered accountant I must still complete three years of articles and pass a second board exam. I am spending my first year doing academic articles at the University of Johannesburg, where I am lecturing, tutoring, preparing material for the students and setting some of their tests.

fice, believes students are sometimes signed into trainee contracts too soon, and that it limits work experiences they could end up benefiting from.

There is a tendency for students to sign up with an auditing firm before they have had sufficient exposure to a number of different firms. Nadia Coetzee
Its important for students to do vac work at different firms before they sign, because then they will have a better idea of whether a firms culture, and type of work they will be doing, will suit them. Coetzee does, however, understand why this is normally the case: The competition is tough because all the auditing firms are focusing on the same niche market and there are a limited amount of students studying for a CA qualification.

group companies who are required to present consolidated financial statements, says BDO audit senior Simuphiwe Khuzwayo, who is on her way to completing her Public Practice Exam in November this year. A revised revenue standard will soon emerge, although this will only be effective in 2017. Financial instruments, insurance contracts and leases are all under revision and will likely be published next year, with later effectivedates.

Experience is key
Life is about making informed decisions. And the same principle applies to studying and working in whichever field one chooses. Nadia Coetzee, HR manager at BDOs Johannesburg of-

CIMA

SAICA training requirements

Develop a competency framework to inform the requirements of the academic and training programme. Accredit and monitor programmes at universities that lead to qualifying as CAs. Set standard examinations (ITC and APC). Accredit and monitor training offic- es that offer a registered training programme. Provide thought leadership in pro- fessional accountancy development programmes. Set standard for the CA professional.
20

According to chartered accountant, Servaas Kranhold, who fulfils the role of associate director at BDO, the 2011 changes to the Companies Act directly affect the accounting profession andbusiness.
One of the changes resulted in many small and privately-owned companies not requiring a full scope audit, he says. This has resulted in some entities requesting not to be audited, but rather reviewed as per the CompaniesAct. Khuzwayo adds: During our audits, we find that companies find it difficult to comply with the various sections of the Act, mainly due to an inability to interpret the requirements of the Act. This policy change, combined with the credit crunch, did see a decline in the number of audits completed. But Kranhold remains positive, saying

The playing field

As with all professions, policy and legal changes affect the way businesses run their operations. Internationally, no new major International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are anticipated to become effective in the short term, following the introduction of new standards (IFRS 10 Consolidation, IFRS 11 Joint Arrangements and IFRS 12 Disclosures of Interests in Other Entities) effective on 1 January 2013. These new standards mainly affect

Your goal is clear: to shape the strategy of your business. The challenge? To get that promotion you wanted. So get the right solution. Study CIMA and show your abilities with the CGMA designation.

Find out more at: cimaglobal.com/BusinessBrains

ACCOUNTING

Simuphiwe Khuzwayo from BDO

I am not just a social networker.

Grant T

there has been exceptional growth in the accounting sector. The perception around an audit has changed in the past six months, with directors now requesting their companies do have an audit even though its not required, Kranhold says.

overseas? According to Low, Grant Thornton encourages its trainees to complete secondment opportunities to other countries.

Greener grass?
Its extremely positive to know that South Africas accounting sector is growing despite companies not being required to undergo audits. But, what about the opportunities

Low says many trainees return to South Africa and to the firm, to move within the ranks of the organisation through its Path to Partnershipprogramme.
[This programme] includes a structured career progression to move into the senior positions of the organisation, he says. The service lines that we offer are varied and diverse, and

are not limited to auditing: they include corporate finance, tax, business risk, internal auditing, financial planning, strategic solutions and sustainability, among others. According to Kranhold, who recently returned from a six-month secondment in the UK, there are many opportunities overseas for South Africangraduates. I worked on captivating clients, from recycling companies to international hotel consortiums, which I have not had the opportunity to be exposed to in South Africa, Kranhold says. The opportunities are vast in the UK, especially if you have a CA (SA) designation. I can vouch that this designation does open international doors and is held with great esteem. And while Kranhold says salary scales are on par with South Africa, one of

At Grant Thornton, we believe that social networking leads to business networking. Dont stop. Visit www.gtcareers.co.za to nd out more.

SAICA qualification process

Academic programme (four years, comprising three-year undergraduate programme and one-year post-graduate programme) Assessment of technical competence (QE I, renamed the ITC from 2013) Training programme (three years worth of practical work experience) A professional programme Assessment of Professional Competence
22

www.gt.co.za
2013 Grant Thornton South Africa. All rights reserved. Grant Thornton South Africa is a member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd (Grant Thornton International).

ACCOUNTING

ACCOUNTING

manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods, mining, engineering and eventourism. For those looking to ply their trade within multinational organisations, instead of working for the so-called big four accountancy firms, companies such as Unilever offer a varied training experience.

your finance knowledge, counts more than being able to bean-count.

Get pervasive
Echoing Molois sentiments, Mandi Olivier, qualified CA (SA) and senior executive for Professional Development at SAICA, explains how much broader the field of accountancy has become. Changes in accounting education include an increase in the volume and complexity of accountancy technical material from financial accounting and reporting (by way of the IFRS accounting standards) through to audit standards and tax legislation.

the things to keep in mind is that the cost of living in the UK is exceptionally high.

Do it your way
Its a hard slog to become an accountant, with a four-year post-graduate degree, three-year training contract and qualifying exams, only to start at the bottom. For those not too keen on starting on

the bottom rung, there are obviously opportunities to start their own businesses using the skills and knowledge gained throughout their studies and articles. Croock is one of those graduates who sees the opportunities beforehim.

It will give you all the skills you need to become a successful businessperson, he says. From a personal career growth perspective, Khuzwayo says a chartered accountant (CA (SA)) has great opportunities available. A CA (SA) has the opportunity to work in either audit, tax or as a financial manager in business, she says. Most CFOs of listed companies in South Africa are CA (SA)s. The CA (SA) designation has the ability to open doors for any person willing to grow and advance him or herself.

Veronica Moloi, who holds a BCom honours in financial management sciences from the University of Pretoria, as well as a Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) advanced diploma in management accounting, works as a category accountant in the laundry department atUnilever.
It may not sound lavish, but Moloi attests to the experiences shes had thusfar. The finance field is not as narrow as it is stereotyped to be, she explains. A sound financial base will take you very far. The roles I have been in since joining Unilever have exposed me to experiences outside what one would consider the finance norm. Production accounting, supply chain finance and now category accounting for homecare are not the first places you would think a finance graduate would find him or herself. As the world moves towards creating value, becoming the best business partner, supported by

numbers in the financial statements there is a greater need for them to also understand a businesss strategy. This includes the risks such strategy attracts, together with the appropriate governance that needs to be put in place to manage such risks. There is also an increased emphasis on the ethical requirements of accountants, given recent corporate failures and the increase of fraud and corruption in the South African and global economies.

Success @ life
Graduates today are increasingly recognising that the right attitude plays a significant role in not only landing the bursary or internship, but for the holistic development of the individual. I believe the keys to success in any

Accounting is a degree that gives one a great understanding of how businesses and economies work. Shaun Croock

In addition, there is a lot more focus on chartered accountants having to develop the required level of pervasive skills, which include ethics, personal attributes, such as being a lifelong learner, and professional skills which include communication, analysis, problem-solving and research. Mandi Olivier
In other words, possessing technical knowledge in itself is not sufficient; a CA must be able to integrate and apply this technical knowledge using the required skills. Another significant development is the introduction of integrated reporting, which requires that accountants think far broader than just the

CIMA earning potential

In 2012, qualified CIMA members in South Africa were earning on average R774 273 in basic salary plus R105 784 in bonuses, totalling R880 057 per annum. Part-qualified students were earning on average R366 284 in basic salary plus R34 519 in bonuses, totalling R400 804.10. Ninety-five percent expected pay rises in a year, and they expected an average rise of8%.
25

SAIPA qualification process

Academic: Financial Accounting 3 Taxation 1 Auditing 1 OR Internal Auditing 2 OR Internal Control and Code of Ethics Corporate Law 1 OR Commercial Law 2 Management Accounting Practical: Three years supervised training OR Six years relevant, verifiable experience OR Training from accredited professional accountancy bodies Professional Evaluation (PE): Completion of written Professional Evaluation
24

Side-stepping the mould

Graduates today have more opportunities available to them than ever before. And in South Africa, they have a wide variety of industries to pick from:

ACCOUNTING

Servaas Kranhold from BDO

AUDIT TAX ADVISORY

sector are commitment and determination, as well as maintaining a positive attitude despite the circumstances, says Croock. One can achieve success in any sphere of life if one has these characteristics. Additionally, to be successful in the accounting sector, one must stay up to date with technical and professional developments and continuously sharpen knowledge and skills. While goals are the fuel to help you reach your dreams, advice is the proverbial Garmin that will lead you there regardless of the route you decide totake. The one thing I perhaps would have liked to have known before I started my articles was in what type of audit firm one should do their articles, Kranhold says. There are numerous options available in the size of the firms. When you study, you always only head for the big four. To make the best possible decision, I had discussions with a few partners at different size audit firms to understand what they could offer me in my development going forward. I decided, at the end, to do my articles at a medium-size firm, whereby I could receive exposure to auditing, tax, accounting and how businesses operate holistically. I would recommend the same advice.

Mazars

Kranhold knows this all too well. He says one of the things hed liked to have been told before entering the sector was to not always pick the larger firms.

Come and experience life on Mazars

Through an integrated partner ship that combines the skills of more than 13 500 professionals in 71 countries, Mazars is a truly independent, international organisation and one of the largest audit, tax and advisor y rms in South Africa. Come and meet us on your campus soon. And lets talk about your future as a Mazarian. Get to know us better at www.mazars.co.za

Do you qualify for the Thuthuka Bursary Fund? Do you have 60% in mathematics in grade 11 (Level 5)? Do you qualify for university? Can your family not support you financially at tertiary level? Are you an African or coloured learner? YES to all means you qualify. Visit www.saica.co.za
26

In-demand designation
It is this exposure that separates the men (or women) from the boys. Its
Registered auditor a rm of Chartered Accountants (SA) An approved nancial services provider

ACCOUNTING

Alexia Towell from FirstRand Bank

also no secret that South Africas CAs are so highly sought after and that a great many of these qualified CAs work overseas which leaves our own country with a shortage of talent. The SAICA curriculum prepares chartered accountants to be leaders in business and in their communities. Big companies recognise this and motivate it by employing CA (SA)s, with over 7 000 of SAICAs 34 000 members working internationally. Olivier explains that 2 500 SAICA

members work in the UK alone. But it is not only emigration that plays a role in the shortage of accountants in the auditing industry.

Requirements).

Go banking
FirstRand is one of South Africas prominent financial services institutions. Its CA training programme forms part of its graduate development initiative, which attracts students early on in their careers and develops them into outstanding chartered accountants. We offer our trainees three years of articles in a highly energised and innovative financial services environment, says Alexia Towell, FirstRand CA programme manager. Our expectation is that they drive their learning in all aspects of banking and across our varied businesses environment. And while Towell admits the current challenge her organisation faces is finding equity candidates, specifically African candidates with a keen interest in the financial services industry,

A staggering 85% to 88% of CAs do not practice as auditors, and 30% work in the financial services industry.
Others pursue careers as business consultants, tax advisers, entrepreneurs and financial managers. This is largely due to the variety of training SAICA offers (see box: SAICA Training

CAs dominate JSE-listed companies

Researching the top 194 companies on the JSE by market capitalisation, 32% of chief executives were chartered accountants, as were 75% of the chief financial officers. In fact, 32% of all directorships of the top 194 companies are held by chartered accountants.
28

ACCOUNTING

the careers available to trainees include transactor, credit, risk, accounting and operations type roles. The banking sector is a growth sector and the FirstRand Group especially has grown over the last number of years, says Towell. One individual at FirstRand Bank who is poised for great things is CA trainee accountant, Loyiso Litha Daka. This University of Cape Town graduate believes his ultimate success lies in helping others realise their own success. To do this, he diligently balances studying and on-the-job training with physical exercise and connecting to his spiritual side. If one has a passion or desire for something, it becomes very hard not to reach for success. "To be successful you have to love something, he says. So, from the minute you decide that

you want to be in the accounting sector, you have to love accounting first of all. There has to be a reason for you being an accountant. Daka was fortunate to be part of the Thuthuka bursary fund and the EDU programme at UCT. Thuthuka is funded by a number of organisations, and after studying, students have the opportunity to serve their training contracts at one of the donors. FirstRand is one of Thuthukas donors. Once I explored the FirstRand website, I realised that the exposure I could potentially get here was incredible: there were areas in the financial services sector I never knew existed, and here was this group that had them.

fessional programme, and Part II of the Qualifying Exam looms this year. She believes the keys to success are hard work, patience and learning. There are quite a few career opportunities within the accounting sector that are available and the opportunity to go through training helps you to discover all these opportunities, shesays.

Dropouts arise
Still, auditing is not for everyone. As with every professional qualification, dropouts do occur. The good news, however, is that the fundamental ethics and subjects covered do enable them to get back on their feet. Deon Wolmerans has been working in the IT sector for a year now. He works for CQS Technology Holdings. He threw in the towel because, while he admits to loving accounting, it was the auditing pill he battled to swallow. But his new industry is not so far removed from the rigours of accounting. I develop auditing software, which is used by 75% to 80% of auditors in South Africa, he says. My background in accounting helps me a lot with what Im doing now. I love accounting, but auditing is not for me. The world of accounting is as varied as the people who inhabit it. The message is clear: you have to love it to make a success of it. And to do that, you need to find your perfect place within this highly respected and necessary industry.

SNG

Six big names with CAS

1. Alan Knott-Craig (Jnr): MD of iBurst 2. Brian Joffe: CEO of Bidvest Group 3. David Powels: MD of VW SA 4. Dave Richardson: former SA cricketer and ICC GM 5. Leon Crouse: CFO for Remgro

"I applied and prepared for the interview and test. I spoke to trainees, lecturers and chartered accountants to try and get a better understanding of financial services, and more specifically, FirstRand." Loyiso Daka
There were other firms that were available for Thuthuka students to do their training contracts, but once I landed in Johannesburg for my interview, I realised the minute I walked inside the FirstRand building that this is where I will serve my training contract. Another CA trainee accountant at FirstRand is Keitumetse Molepo, who was also part of the Thuthuka programme at the bank. She is in her second year of training with the APT pro-

6. Royden Vice: founder of Afrox Healthcare

30

grad @ work

Rorisang Kole

SACRIFICING FOR ACCOUNTING

A job at Unilever is a career , with development opportunities, benets and a working culture that embraces diversity.
At Unilever, we believe in investing in the future and in developing the business leaders of tomorrow You. Whether youre a graduate looking for on-the-job training through our Management Trainee Programme (Unilever Future Leaders Programme) or a student looking for a hands-on Internship, weve got what youre looking for. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. Our more than 400 brands touch the lives of over 2 billion people in 190 countries every day! We look for people who constantly challenge themselves to grow and improve. Are you this person? The functions you can apply to are: Marketing, Customer Development, Supply Chain, Research and Development, Finance and Human Resources.
My proudest Unilever moment was launching a brand new product into the market. We took learnings from the Philippines, Vietnam and other African countries to develop a new concept for South Africa. Portia Gumede Marketing Future Leader

B Business Science (Rhodes University)

Rorisang Kole made one of the biggest sacrifices of his life when he moved from grade 11 back to grade 10, just to do accounting in a newschool.
I was supposed to start in my new school as a grade 11 learner; however, the teachers advised me that it was not a good idea to start new subjects in grade 11, says Kole, who is one board exam away from becoming a CA. After two weeks in grade 11, I realised that it was difficult to follow the class because I did not have the basics of maths and accounting from grade 10. I spoke to my teachers about moving me back a year. It was the hardest decision Ive ever had to make. But it was not smooth sailing from
32

there on: Koles maths was poor, and he was forced to do a bridging course in his first year at North West University to prop up his maths score. This was a blessing in disguise, he says. I worked extremely hard and when I had to move to my first year as a formal BCom student, I got a Thuthuka bursary, which sponsored me up to my honours. They placed me at BDO in Joburg.

with articles, but wherever he goes, he knows what he wants: In 10 years, I want to be the bosses boss.

I want to become an all around Supply Chain expert and rotations on the UFLP will foster this. I chose Unilever for the development opportunities it offers but also for the contribution we are making through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. Vithal Harase Supply Chain Future Leader
B Business Science (UKZN)

CompanY LISTING
Anglo American www.angloamerican.co.za Auditor-General of SA www.agsa.co.za BDO www.bdo.co.za Deloitte www.deloitte.co.za Ernst & Young www.ey.co/za First Rand www.firstrand.co.za Grant Thornton www.za.gt.com KPMG www.kpmg.com Mazars www.mazars.co.za PKF www.pkf.co.za PWC www.pwc.co.za SNG www.sng.za.com Unilever www.unilever.com

"I am loving every single moment thus far. Rorisang Kole

Kole believes the keys to success for aspiring accountants are being able to handle pressure and run highly technical transactions, combined with good business ethics. He is enjoying his articles and believes he may stay in auditing once hes done

The application process not only tested your intellectual capacity but also your leadership competencies. The nal stage gave a real life case study of the type of challenges we would experience in a corporate company like Unilever. Ntombesizwe Vabaza Customer Development Future Leader
B Com PPE (UCT)

To nd out more about Careers at Unilever and to apply to our Graduate and Internship Programmes visit: www.unilever.co.za/careers

BANKING

Wynand Brits from Absa

A CAREER OF INTEREST
Rodney Weidemann

"You should understand that often the bank is not merely looking for academic success; they are generally seeking a certain type of person. Do not be afraid to demonstrate your true characteristics and who you are; be an individual. Wynand Brits At the end of the day, graduates must also focus on balancing their degree with some additional exposure into the career they are investing in." brandon pretorius
34

Despite the state of the global economy, innovative and focused individuals remain in demand in the banking sector.
With the downgrading of the South African sovereign credit rating at the end of last year by Moodys, and its changing of the local banking system outlook from stable to negative, one might think getting into the banking sector at this time might not be the best idea. However, there remains much to be positive about. According to FinMark Trust, at least two-thirds of the countrys adults over the age of 16 are now a part of the banking population and more customers means more job opportunities. In addition, FinMark has suggested that innovation will be required in the sector in order to deepen the inclusion and involvement of the newly banked. Who better to provide such innovation than todays connected, always-ongeneration?

Talent needed
Tracey Ashington, head: Young Talent Acquisition at Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), believes that despite the economic issues, the need for young talent is growing and will continue to doso. Corporates have realised that hiring graduates is a great way to enhance their talent pool. While they understand that it can be a longer term investment, it clearly remains worthwhile to them, she says. Thembi Khuzwayo, head: Global Graduate Programmes at Standard Bank, agrees that employment possibilities for graduates remain high in the banking sector. Our corporates have a need for a skilled workforce, and so look to those with a good ed-

ucation as potential employees. As a bank, we have varied needs, which encompass developing future leaders through to honing technical experts in various subject matters.

they will have even more opportunities to share their ideas. The sky truly is the limit! According to Ashington, innovation will be of increasing relevance as corporates and humankind in general become more automated. With this, she says, comes an increased need for IT and information systems graduates. I dont believe that a young person needs an IT qualification to be innovative, however. At RMB, we encourage innovation and innovative thinking in all our staff, at all levels, and in all divisions. One of the reasons Standard Bank invests in the development of graduates is to inject a generation of people into the organisation who have fresh ideas, can cope with managing complexity and think creatively about
35

At First National Bank (FNB), new ideas, innovations and efficiencies are constantly needed in order to cater to the organisations expanding customer base, explains Joanna Preston, graduate recruitment programme manager at FNB.
The need for innovation also means that all graduates financial, IT, engineering, actuarial and even marketing will need to develop their creative thinking to move with these innovative times. For graduates, this is great news as

BANKING

First National Bank - a division of FirstRand Bank Limited. An Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider (NCRCP20).

Dont be seen
as just a grad.

problems, says Khuzwayo. Graduates bring a new set of eyes and effectively complement the companys more skilled and seasoned individuals. At the same time, graduates need to be highly adaptable and to think differently about banking, in line with the technological revolution.

with degrees such as information systems and computer science generally dont think of banks as a place to have an exciting and rewarding career experience, she says. Furthermore, banks cannot operate without HR professionals, risk professionals, procurement professionals, finance professionals, marketing professionals, compliance and legal professionals and all other key business enablers.

gree you have. Brandon Pretorius, senior account manager at Cozens Recruitment Group, says having a degree is vital, but succeeding in the banking sector is about much more than a piece of paper. At the end of the day, graduates must also focus on balancing their degree with some additional exposure into the career they are investing in." He says getting the degree and building your repertoire in the industry of your choice should be considered equally important. You need to make a decision to stand out from the rest, which means it needs to be about more than just your degree. I would suggest volunteering to work at your local branch in your holidays. And talk to people who can assist you to get an in. This may be recruitment providers like us, or it may just be people you know at church or your gym, states Pretorius.

Degrees that count

Khuzwayo says the complexity of issues dealt with in banks requires myriad disciplines, from quantitative ability, to the monetising of deals, to managing the regulatory environment; hence there is a broad focus for degreechoices. Interestingly, IT graduates those

Clearly then, there are wide-ranging opportunities for careers within this sector. Thembi Khuzwayo
Ashington says while all banks hire across a range of disciplines, RMB only offers graduate programmes for students with finance, investments, maths, quant and business science degrees, as well as IT and IS. We do not run graduate programmes in any of the other divisions, such as marketing or HR, although we obviously hire people in these disciplines as we require them, she says. From an FNB perspective, Preston says the bank takes in graduates across a wide range of degrees. These include law, marketing, actuarial science, engineering, HR and IT.

Potential career paths There are many areas beyond the traditional finance-related ones that offer career paths in the banking sector. Degrees that are relevant to this sector include: Engineering Actuarial science Human resources Marketing IT Law
36

Are you in?

Because with us, when youre in, youre in. A lot of other grad programmes promise the world to their grads, without the certainty of a full-time job at the end of the day. With us, youre offered a full-time position with the most innovative bank in the world* from day one. Whether youre a banker, an IT guru or an engineer, youll be working on meaningful projects and making an impact.

Pretorius believes students should find someone they can feed off and who can play a mentoring role.
Your goal should be to try and make yourself as three-dimensional as possible, and only bringing a degree to the table leaves you looking flat. Furthermore, you should remember that when you are at university, your brain is trained in theoretical study; however, in the working world, you need

The recruitment view

Of course, it is not only about the de-

Visit www.fnb.co.za/loi to find out more, or to apply for the FNB League of Innovators Graduate Programme.
*2012 BAI-Finacle Global Banking Innovation Awards.

MetropolitanRepublic/10776/E

BANKING

Joanna Preston from FNB

Fast forward your career by applying for one of our 2013 graduate programmes.

Std Bank
to be practical, and this can best be achieved by gaining real world experience as early as possible. well as in corporate skills and career management skills, with the aim of preparing graduates for a successful career in the bank. Over 100 graduates are hired annually into permanent roles in the bank, she says. Students are hired into our Investment Banking, Global Markets, Credit, Risk and Technology divisions. These graduates are considered to be on the programme for the first year, during which time they receive regular feedback, training and support. Khuzwayo explains that Standard Bank has designed graduate programmes that offer a structured 18-24 month programme, enabling graduates to learn through on-the-job experiences, as well as structured learning interventions of a technical nature, and soft skills. Graduates are assigned a mentor, who is typically a senior individual able to guide their journey within the bank. There are also networking opportunities with senior bank leadership, and where applicable training interventions in locations outside

Seeking a programme
FNB offers its League of Innovators Graduate Programme, Preston says, which is a structured recruitment and development programme aimed at up-skilling new graduates. Training is provided in banking, as

At RMB, says Ashington, the bank takes on anywhere between eight and 20 graduates per year, with the exact numbers driven by business requirements.

A sound industry
According to the World Economic Forum Competitive Survey 2012/13, South African banks came second out of 144 countries in terms of soundness, and the country was rated third in terms of financial sector development.
38

Kick start your career with a Standard Bank graduate programme and you could potentially work with industry specialists, accelerating your growth and making the most of your potential. Before you know it, your great ideas could help Africa fulfill its economic potential. For more information or to apply, visit www.standardbank.com/graduates

Authorised financial services and registered credit provider (NCRCP15). The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited (Reg. No. 1962/000738/06). SBSA 136802 02/13 Moving Forward is a trademark of The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited

Moving Forward

TM

BANKING

South Africa that will enhance their skills and understanding of bank processes. Finally, it entails placement into critical roles within various areas of the organisation. Our annual graduate intake in South Africa alone averages 150, she says.

Lerato Erasmus, Young Talent Group HR at Absa, says development is at the heart of the programme, giving graduates training opportunities to accelerate their personal and professional growth.

who has been part of Absas graduate programme since 2011. He says it has proved to be very interesting, since his generation is part of the first workforce where there are three different generations in the workplace. We have the Baby Boomers, as well as Generation X and Generation Y all working together. What makes it exciting is that where the Gen Y employees tend to be more extroverted and willing to make their own mistakes, the Baby Boomers are generally very conservative. This has meant finding a balance between not being afraid of failure and obtaining guidance from the older generation that already has the experience, he says.

Being inspired to succeed is easy in a place as inspiring as Africa.

Standard Bank has won the Best Emerging Markets Bank Award in:

South Africa Uganda Namibia DRC

A new generation
Designed to produce the next generation of future leaders, Absas Pan Africa Graduate Development Programme (PAGDP) is a 12-18 month programme with a robust structure, developed to challenge and push graduates to perform beyond their best.

Our graduates are hired into permanent roles when they join us and they are stretched throughout the duration of the programme. The journey allows them to establishing a successful transition from a graduate to a young, up-andcoming professional. Lerato Erasmus We believe graduates are the lifeblood of our economy, and strive to ensure we play our part in helping them find their feet in the corporate world, shesays. Through PAGDP, we hire graduates into the Absa business in South Africa and into other operations across the African continent where Barclays has a footprint. Due to the sheer size and scope of our business, Absa is an organisation with a multitude of divisions and niche business units; therefore we have a wide range of career choices. We are always looking for diverse professionals from corporate bankers, actuaries, lawyers and marketing specialists, to engineers, researchers and innovators. Wynand Brits is an honours graduate

The one to watch The Banker has identified, among 13 global banks to keep an eye on, South Africa-based Capitec, due to the exponential growth it has achieved in its lending portfolio over the past few years. Barely a decade old, it had R32 billion ($3.6 billion) of assets at the end of August 2012. In the past five years, its lending portfolio has increased by more than 600%.
40

Brits says in an environment where jobs are scarce, what has brought him success has been focusing on being an individual.
I would suggest that if you are applying for a graduate programme, you should understand that often the bank is not merely looking for academic success; they are generally seeking a certain type of person. Therefore, you should not be afraid to demonstrate your true characteristics and who you are, as this might be exactly what they are looking for.

In Africa we see opportunity. This is why Global Finance magazine has named Standard Bank the best Emerging Markets Bank in four African countries. Were honoured to be recognised, but its easy to be this committed when its home youre building. Doesnt it feel good to move forward? www.standardbank.com

More than the degree

At RMB, a strong focus is placed on
Authorised financial services and registered credit provider (NCRCP15). The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited (Reg. No. 1962/000738/06). SBSA 142608 05/13 Moving Forward is a trademark of The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited

BANKING

grad @ work

Matsebe Thulare

academic achievement, but there is more to it than that, says Ashington. We value well-rounded candidates who have excelled in many different areas of their lives. They need to be driven, passionate about finance, resilient, self-motivated and self-confident. In addition to this, RMB encourages those with an innovative spirit, as well as those with an entrepreneurial flair.

Pretorius says it is important to remember that employers have an enormous choice, so they wont easily be fooled. They want the best and they want people who are rounded and three-dimensional. I would rather recommend someone who has been on a Dale Carnegie relationship course than someone who has served on the SRC, because it indicates they are working on developing their soft skills.

Khuzwayo advises engaging with professionals in the banking sector to learn more about the opportunities available, in order to determine in good time what path to pursue. Apply for internship opportunities or winter schools offered in this sector, and read up on current affairs around the sector to broaden your understanding, shesuggests. It is an increasingly competitive job market and regular means of seeking a job often isnt enough these days, says Ashington.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Retail vS investment banking

Retail banking is typically focused on consumer markets. These entities offer a range of personal banking services, such as savings and cheque accounts, bill paying services, debit and credit cards, and mortgages and personal loans. Investment banks focus on assisting private and public sector organisations to raise money by issuing and selling securities in the primary market. They also provide strategic advisory services for mergers, acquisitions and other types of financial transactions.
42

At FNB, resilience, self-drive, motivation and an ability to cope well with rapid change are all important characteristics, according to Preston.
As for career paths, there are too many to mention here, but as one example: a business analyst would need to have a well-developed ability to work with people, the ability to find and collate information, and great communication and analytic skills, not to mention good time-management skills.

Therefore, you must be creative about the way you approach firms. Do something to stand out and be recognised. Use contacts in order to open doors and obtain as many internship opportunities as you can, in order to network within thefirm. Tracey Ashington
She says most companies look to hire graduates out of their work experience programmes, so getting involved in one of these provides a great foot in the door. What you should not do is send your CV out to three or four different companies and then sit back and wait. You are unlikely to secure an interview, let alone a job, sheconcludes.

Matsebe Thulare had great aspirations of being a world-changing entrepreneur, which led to him choosing a degree in commerce.
He studied a BCom in finance and economics at Wits, and went on to do his BCom honours in financial analysis and portfolio management atUCT. Thulare joined RMB through its graduate programme in 2012, although this was not his first experience of the company. He attended the annual Winter School internship during his honours year. I think internships are critical for all students, as they afford you the advantage of context and not having to rely solely on what you read in the newspaper and your textbooks about

investment banks this is vital when youre facing that panel in your finalinterview.

to ask questions, continuously strive to better yourself and generally just be nice to people. These, at least, are his keys to success. My advice to graduates is to realise this is a phenomenal opportunity to work among the best minds in the world and unlock potential you might not even have realised you had. It is, however, a very competitive space and you have to work hard to stand out from the crowd. While it is certainly not easy, it is most definitely worthit.

This is a phenomenal opportunity to work among the best minds in the world. Matsebe Thulare
I have been at RMB for just over 18 months and work as a junior transactor in the Infrastructure Finance team within the Investment Banking division. My team focuses on financing large infrastructure projects in key sectors such as power, PPPs, ports and ITC across the African continent. He attributes his success to being incredibly driven, willing to work hard, make sacrifices from a young age, and being able to apply his mind. He adds that it is important to be a self-starter,

Word of advice
Banking is undoubtedly the place to be: there are few industries that are so fast-changing and evolutionary. It is impacted by everything from politics and economics to technology, and because of its constantly evolving nature, it is a great place to carve a career path, adds Preston.

COmpany listing
www.fnb.co.za www.absa.co.za www.graduate.standardbank.com www.rmb.co.za www.nedbank.co.za www.capitecbank
43

CONSULTING

Mike Macindoe from Ernst & Young

TICKETS TO CONSULTING SUCCESS

James van den Heever

Consulting is unique in that you start out as a generalist, learn and gain industry experience, and only then do you choose to specialise.
Mike Macindoe

If youre happy living out of your comfort zone, this could be your career choice. Consultants make a living (and its generally a good
one) selling their ability to help companies solve problems and take leaps, for example, by entering a new market or transforming a supply chain. We sell knowledge, not products, to solve business problems, says Accentures talent sourcing and graduate acquisition lead, Luan McArthur-Grill. Everything from strategy right through to business processes and mergers, confirms Deon Crafford, client service director at Barnstone. Consultants typically come in two flavours: management and technology. While the former deals with management issues, the latter focuses on providing the suggested solutions if they are technology-based. The categories are far from watertight, and because most of the large consultancies are matrix-type organisations, people

tend to move between the two areas in the course of a career. Consulting competencies are defined internationally. Consulting is a high-reward, high-stress occupation with lots of challenges and plenty of stimulation. Youre never in the same environment for long, which means there is huge pressure to learn all the time, and because consultants are called in where there is a problem, theres none of the routine (boring or comforting, depending on your mindset) that characterises so much work. Corporates arent staffed by fools, after all, so when they call for help, its often because the problems they face are very large or very severe. This is music to the ears of people who relish challenges and need constant

stimulation. To others, it sounds like being condemned to live inside Grand Theft Auto.

Does size count?

Consultancies can be broadly divided into three categories. The first are the large, pure strategy consultancies like McKinsey, Bain, Boston Consulting Group and AT Kearney. Then there are the full-service operations like Accenture, PWC, Ernst & Young, Deloitte and KPMG.

to marketing services for their clients. They house a bewildering array of talent and offer a virtual kaleidoscope of opportunities think Rubiks cube on speed to get a sense of the range of career opportunities they offer. The large IT companies (like IBM, HP and the large systems integrators) also offer consulting services, but obviously with a distinct technology flavour. SAP, Microsoft, Oracle and other enterprise software vendors also use consultants to offer a value-added service around their products. Then there are the boutique-type consultancies, often local, of which Barnstone, MAC Consulting and Letsema are examples. Not surprisingly, these companies tend to specialise in certain industry sectors, like mining, or in cross-functional disciplines, like
45

In consulting, you seldom know what the next day is going to bring. Every day is exciting: its not like auditing.
ALI LEARY
44

These massive multinationals offer everything from strategy right through to nuts-and-bolts implementations of large systems like SAP or Oracle.
Increasingly, they are spawning large outsourcing divisions, which essentially run everything from IT through

CONSULTING

2013 Accenture. All rights reserved.

Hennie Human from Ernst & Young

2012/13

change management or SAP implementations. These companies typically have a turnover in the R100 million region, while the larger companies are in the billions of dollars. Individual consultants also abound, but they are typically experienced people with client bases and skills setting up as an independent consultant from day one isnt feasible. The long and short of it is that consultants offer companies the resourc-

es they need only intermittently or for a special project. Its a logical deal, when you think about it: the company gets the access to the emergency fix-it team, without having to have it on the payroll permanently, and the consultants get a rolling roster of fresh challenges.

In demand
Consulting, as a profession, looks like its a good place to be. By the very nature of things, the commodity it is peddling smart people is in short supply. As Barnstones Crafford says, the industry is directly linked to the health of the economy. Its hard to read the South African economy at present, with the Stock Exchange powering ahead, the mining sector apparently intent on eviscerating itself, and the rand hitting new lows. Internationally, the US Bureau of Labour Statistics predicts that management, technology and scientific consulting will grow by 60 % between 2004 and 2014, ahead of the 14 % predicted for all industries. Here in South Africa, demand for consultants seems stable more than anything else; growing but not very strongly. Any

Another day, another company, another industry, another problem to solve.

Interview preparation: action items

Read up on the profession: www.consultingmag.com is a good place to start. Check out the company websites for detailed career info, procedures and coaching help. Check out www.wetfeet.com for a wealth of information to help you land the job of your dreams.
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This is your invitation to join an organisation offering greater opportunity, greater challenge and greater satisfaction. An organisation dedicated to teamwork and collaboration. For the fourth year in a row, Accenture has been recognised as one of the top employers in South Africa by the CRF Institute. Our capabilities are so broad, you can even change jobs without ever changing companies. Talk to Accenture and discover how great you can be. Visit accenture.com/gradSA

Accenture

Like Accenture SA Follow accentureSAjobs on Twitter

CONSULTING

CONSULTING

Angelo Kehayas from Profweb

has an initiative called the Barnstone Academy, which takes in 12 graduates every two years, offering a combination of classroom-based and on-thejob training. It typically offers about half the trainees a permanent position, while others tend to get snapped up by other consultancies.

Barnstones Crafford stresses the importance of determination, saying people who have overcome adversity often make the best consultants. The candidates qualifications are important, but I would say their personal qualities are more so, he says. Toney Moagi of MG & Associates, IT executive search consultant, disagrees. While personal qualities are obviously important, he says, the right degree is critical.

One thing is clear: there is a definite shortage of black and female graduates looking for careers in consulting.
Perhaps the man with the best view is Theo Smit, MD of NexTLeaders Recruitment Partners, a recruitment company active in this area. There is strong demand for the right quality of graduate, he says, adding the marketplace is also increasingly crowded as big international consultancies like Boston Consulting Group and Bain return, and new local consultancies spring up.

tion awarding the degree will play a role here. Jordaan adds she is surprised that more South African graduates dont take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), used to assess analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal and reading skills for admission to MBA courses. Its international and it will help to set you apart from others there are limited consulting jobs each year, she argues. NexTLeaders Smit feels passionately that students need to understand the need to be distinctive. Like Jordaan, he stresses that a good degree is essential, and that students should build a multifaceted CV that demonstrates

sector that is undergoing big change is a consumer of consulting services, says Hennie Human, head of Performance Improvement in Africa for Ernst & Young. For example, the financial services sector isnt growing that rapidly in more mature markets, but it faces huge regulatory changes, whereas the energy sector is growingrapidly.

The public sector, too, is a strong user of consulting skills, although here the perennial hot potato of politics and cronyism are factors.
There are tremendous opportunities to help the public service get more efficient and thus improve service delivery, but government doesnt procure its services well or incentivise properly

for results, says Angelo Kehayas, president of the Institute of Management Consultants of South Africa and CEO of Profweb. Human believes consulting as a whole is growing at around 5% to 7% in emerging markets. He also points out the huge opportunities for consulting as African infrastructure growth booms. Ernst & Young, he says, takes on around 50 new consultants annually into its advisory businessline. Accentures annual intake also seems to be stable; it was unable to confirm figures. PWC says it hires 500 graduates annually, but this includes its massive auditing practice. Its consulting practice is growing fast, it says. Smaller companies tend to hire experienced candidates for practical reasons. However, they do hire some consultants. Barnstone, for example,

Students are often doing the wrong degrees. Without the academic depth, how are you going to advise an MD or CFO what to do? Toney Moagi
The right degrees, its clear, are those that are related to business, finance or technology, with an emphasis on analytical and problem-solving skills. However, individuals with Arts or Humanities degrees with this type of mindset can also find a place in consulting. Julia Jordaan, an independent head-hunter who works with one of the strategy consultancies, says South African graduates need to get away from the belief that all degrees are equal. The top firms are looking for a good degree, she says. That means no failed courses, and 65 % as a minimum grade point average. Clearly, too, the status of the institu-

Polish up your CV
Good pass marks in all your courses is a basic. To set yourself apart, you need more: Take on some community work. Start a small business: consul- tants are entrepreneurial by nature, and the experience will be valued by potential employers. Play a team sport: consulting is all about working in teams. Persuade one of the consulting houses to let you do some job-shadowing in a vacation.
49

What are they looking for?

While there is fair unanimity about what consulting firms are looking for, there are some variations in emphasis. Accentures McArthur-Grill says the company is looking for individuals with analytic and problem-solving skills, who are flexible and adaptable, who are tenacious, and who have good presentation skills. What the other companies said was basically a variation on these themes.

Show me the money

The salary range for newbie consultants seems to be fairly wide. According to Theo Smit and Julia Jordaan, exceptional graduates could get as much as R350 000 (total cost to company) at one of the pure strategy firms. But, in general, a more realistic range seems to be between R200 000 and R300 000. The key factors, as always, will be your skills and how much in demand they are, how the company assesses your potential, and of course, how many people are competing for that job. Check out www.vault.com for company rankings, internship rankings and salary info.
48

Theo Smit from NexTLeaders

their ability to work in teams, to lead and to contribute to society. Consulting is not an ordinary type of job, and they are not looking for ordinary graduates, he says. Crafford agrees, saying that gaining good life skills is vital, as does Ernst & Youngs Human. He notes the combination of academic knowledge and life experience is most readily available in post-graduates, hence his companys tendency to hire only those

with a second qualification, even if it is a diploma rather than a degree.

Prepare, prepare, prepare

Most of the consulting houses follow a similar pattern, being active on the campuses of the major universities and ensuring their material appears in student publications on the others. As they are looking for a very particular type of person, most use a variation of

the case study interview, which will present a business scenario for which the candidate will have to propose a business solution. There are many variations, with some requiring preparation, while others are more informal. They are all designed to identify potential consultants. The recruitment process is typically quite long, and should be initiated quite early in your final year of study. All of the big firms websites have detailed information on their processes. Supposing your CV is right and youre attracted by the consulting lifestyle, how should you prepare for what one recent hire, Minal Parbhoo, calls demanding process? Some clear themes emerged. Graduates are not researching the company thoroughly enough, says McArthur-Grill, a view that was echoed

GLOBAL LEADERS START HERE

McKinsey

CONSULTING

Sheryl Sandberg
Worked at McKinsey from 1994 to 1996 in Washington DC.
After working for McKinsey & Company Sheryl went on to serve the US Treasury as Chief of Staff. She then became one of Googles Vice Presidents and is now the COO of Facebook.

Nail the case study!

There are many resources to help you prepare for that vital case study interview. As a wannabe consultant, learn this lesson fast: good preparation means you can cope with anything! The careers pages on the consulting company websites have good information McKinsey is particularly good and www.caseinterview.com is the mother-lode. YouTube also has a lot of video coaching and footage of case study interviews.
50

To find out how you can join the next generation of global leaders visit our careers page at www.mckinsey.co.za

grad @ work

CONSULTING

Buntu Nqeketo

byothers. Smit adds that, overall, candidates need to prepare much better for the case interviews. To be sure of getting a job at one of the top firms, Ive known people to do 15 or 20 case studies beforehand, he says. Its all part of making yourself distinctive.

ture because it has a good reputation for providing graduates with training and career opportunities because it is so large.

diting, she says. Thats why I get out of bed each morning.

The upside
Its clear that consulting offers the right kind of person a highly stimulating and varied career, with good material rewards and lots of space to grow. The other side of the coin is that the pressure can be intense and the hours long and unpredictable consultants often spend a lot of time in planes and hotel rooms.

So, whats it like?

Minal Parbhoo joined Accenture as an analyst this year, after completing a BCom (Hons) in Information Systems at Wits. She was attracted by the potential for exposure to many companies and industries. Pressure makes you learn faster, she says. She was pleased to be offered the job at Accen-

She attended a boot camp run by the company during her final year of study, which was a great way, she says, to see there was a fit, and an opportunity to showcase her strengths.
Mike Macindoe has been working at Ernst & Young for six months, and was likewise attracted by the variety promised by the job. He has a BSc (Hons) in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, but ultimately discarded his idea to work in the bush as a romantic dream. He then took a post-graduate diploma in management at Wits Business School, which proved to be a great introduction to consulting. He is a highly competitive person and so thrives on the pressure of consulting. Consulting is unique in that you start out as a generalist, learn and gain industry experience, and only then do you choose to specialise, he says. Ali Leary has been at Ernst & Young for 18 months. Her undergraduate degree was in financial accounting, but she realised the predictability of auditing was not for her. A post-graduate diploma in management from Wits Business School was also her route into consulting. In consulting, you seldom know what the next day is going to bring. Every day is exciting: its not like au-

JUST DELIVER

Get professional
Like other professions (think CA (SA), for example), consultants have their own professional organisation and designation: Certified Management Consultant or CMC. Membership of a professional body is a great way to brand oneself, indicate ones bona fides and access to continuing professional training. Visit the Institute of Management Consultants & Master Coaches of South Africa website at www.imcsa.org.za.
52

The graduates we spoke to all agreed that the various companies offered excellent induction programmes to get new hires up to speed, with ongoing training and mentoring also ratinghighly.
But perhaps the key point one needs to understand about consulting is the scale of the future opportunities it opens up. If you stay in consulting, there is a seemingly unlimited range of chances to reinvent yourself, and move between sectors and/or disciplines like marketing or supply chain. Even more appealing to many is the fact that five years in consulting can act as a passport to a top job in a corporate or government agency. The chance to interact with corporate CEOs is worth far more than your actual salary, ends Smit. Use it well!

Consulting is probably its very important to have motivating everything they say it is. goals, and that ambition is the key to Demanding, fulfilling, achievement. big bucks.
First, however, you need to crack it. Although hes only been working at Accenture since February, Buntu Nqeketo already has a good idea of what it takes.

He studied a BCom in Accounting and then honours in Financial Management a discipline that suits his precise nature. His passion for figures developed at school. I was good at it, and so I grew to enjoy it, he says. While at varsity, he had not really considered a career in consulting, mainly because he didnt really know too much about it. That changed when he attended a campus recruiting event. The opportunities for growth and exposure to a wide range of companies and industries appealed to him enormously and already he is working on a project helping a large resources company optimise its supply chain. The recruitment process was highly

demanding, he says, an observation many graduates who have become consultants would support. Make sure you dont just focus on your studies companies like to see you are a well-rounded human being and have leadership qualities too, he advises.

COmpany listing
Accenture www.accenture.com Boston Consulting Group www.bcg.com Deloitte mycareer.deloitte Ernst & Young www.ey.com KPMG www.kpmg.com Letsema Consulting www.letsema.co.za MAC Consulting www.macgroup.co.za
53

You need to position yourself to succeed by learning as much as you can, and by doing things you have never done before. Buntu Nqeketo
But thats not enough its all about delivering on what you have promised, and what the client expects. Describing himself as quiet and analytical, Nqeketo says he knows what he wants and goes after it. He believes

ENGINEERING

Ahmed Joosub from Denel Dynamics

ENGINEERS TO SAVE OUR PLANET

Clayton Swanepoel

Since I was young I have loved challenges, and in engineering, everything is a challenge. Every morning I get up and get excited about conquering some new challenges. When entering the industry, a mentorship programme is very important to help phase you from the university environment to the working environment.
Ahmed Joosub
54

Exciting times ahead for engineers looking to change the world through sustainability. The engineering sector in South Africa is embracing the
global trend of sustainability. As a result, more than ever before, engineers are becoming major innovators on the global engineering landscape. Were in the business of sustainability, says Graham Pirie, CEO of Consulting Engineers of South Africa. When I talk about sustainability, Im talking about people, profit and planet not just the green component, he says. There is a whole new really exciting component in the sustainable development sphere. If were going to save the planet, the engineer is in a critical position to do what has to be done to ensure we have a sustainable planet. It isnt surprising then that South African engineers have been key players in the completion of a number of inspiring sustainable and green buildings nationwide. One of the most exciting is the No 1 Silo building, in Cape Town. The building, which was completed in June 2013, is

the second building in South Africa to achieve a 6-star green rating. This places the building on the level of world leadership in the green buildingenvironment. Through innovation and proven technologies, the building is perfectly integrated into the environment. By working with the environment rather than against it, it adheres to strict global environmentally sustainable buildingpractices.

The current engineering climate in South Africa is very exciting and also highly competitive, says Makhotso Mabote, bursary and graduate recruitment specialist at Denel Dynamics.

This is not unique to South Africa. What were seeing is a global phenomenon, says Pirie. The engineering sector globally is in a similar state because of the world downturn. As it stands, the engineering sector isnt all doom and gloom. In fact, its quite the opposite. There is a lot of focus on Africa as the next big thing, says Pirie. We also believe that. We think its the last frontier and that Africa, the slumbering giant, is starting to take off. Looking forward, this means a lot of opportunity for graduate engineers, but it also poses a human resourcecomplication.

With the developments that are taking place within the sector, I believe there are a number of exciting prospects for young graduates coming into this sphere. Makhotso Mabote
The climate is, however, still affected by the recession that hit us a few years ago, Mabote adds. As a result, companies have been forced to be stricter with their expenditure, which then impacts the types of projects theyre able to get involvedwith.

Demand on the up
Taking a look at the engineering sector in South Africa, its clear that it has its challenges. It is, however, loaded with opportunity too. Sustaining our engineering talent is key to South Africas growth from a developing to a knowledge economy.

Education is key
The current level of education in South Africa, especially when it comes
55

ENGINEERING

to the pass rate of maths and science from a high school level, creates a challenge in creating the pipeline that will feed into our tertiary institutions, says Manini Nhlapo, graduate co-ordinator: Strategic Talent Sourcing atMultichoice. As a result, there will always be competition for the best engineers. The demand for engineers in South Africa has increased in the last 12 months, and it doesnt look to be slowing down anytime soon.

South Africa has a problem in that the engineer-to-population ratio is pretty low by international standards, and even by developing nation standards, says Pirie.

That has to change, because we need to develop a service knowledge economy. The shortage of skills is a worldwide trend. Its a serious shortage in engineering, particularly at the professional engineeringlevel. Graham Pirie
Mabote echoes this: There are a number of projects and developments that are taking place within the engineering sector, which most certainly have boosted the growth of the industry. However, the issue that many companies battle with is the shortage of the types of skills that are necessary to execute these projects. In addition, engineering is a scarce skill, which makes it even harder.

be open to lifelong learning. With innovations and rapid technological developments, you cannot afford to be left behind. What makes a successful engineer is being able to adapt to drastic changes in development platforms, and to quickly gain skills in that environment, says Saeeda Khan, graduate engineer at Multichoice. The biggest attribute of a successful engineer is their leadership ability, Pirie says. Being able to deal with and manage people is part of being a balanced engineer.

Denel

SAs best green buildings

No1 Silo Building, Cape Town (6 stars) Department of Environmental Affairs, Pretoria (6 stars) The E block in Upper Grayston, Sandton (5 stars) Cecilia Square, Paarl (4 stars) 115 West Street, Sandton (4 stars) Atholl Towers, Sandton (4 stars) Nedbank Menlyn Maine, Pretoria (4 stars) Buildings are rated by The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA).
56

It is not enough to be a technocrat you need to manage people effectively, and this requires great leadership.
Denel Dynamics graduate engineer, Ahmed Joosub, says the key to success in the engineering industry is making the best use of all the resources around you. He stresses, in particular, the people with experience in your chosen field.

What makes a great engineer?

Engineers need a thirst for knowledge. Successful engineers have enquiring minds; they ask questions; they are creative problem-solvers, says Mabote. Pirie adds that engineers dont think about the problems, they think about the solutions its ingrained in their DNA. As an engineer, youll be expected to

Learn from the best

Mentorship plays an important role in the development of an engineer. Mentors are very important to me, as they provide perspective and advice in developing yourself as a person, as well as shaping the fantasies that are natural as a graduate emerging into a new world, says Khan. This sentiment is shared by Lumka Msibi, graduate

ENGINEERING

grad @ work

Lumka Msibi

engineer at Denel Dynamics: All my mentorship relationships have been very important to me and have aided in my growth and choices, she says. I am able to brainstorm ideas and future plans with my mentors and receive honest feedback and guidance. I think that when entering the industry, a mentorship programme is very important to help phase you from the university environment to the working environment, says Joosub. It also helps you build connections in the company and guides you in what you do. Mentors guide you through the appropriate ways to approach projects and how theyre actually done outside of university. Graduate engineers must remember their place on the journey to becom-

ing successful engineers. Our challenges are mainly related to getting our graduates to understand the environment within which we operate, says Mabote. Ours is a highly skilled and technical environment, which requires a number of years to become aspecialist.

courses that make up for what you dont learn at university. I sincerely believe that time management is an essential skill, says Mabote. Timelines and deadlines in the workplace are very different to those at university. Nhlapo adds that a strong work ethic with the ability to work under pressure is a must. Engineers also need good verbal and written communication skills, they need to be adaptable and flexible, and not be afraid of change.

FLYING SOLO

The length of time it takes for this to happen may at times become a source of frustration for young graduates, whose expectations are not aligned to this thinking. Makhotso Mabote
Snowy Mahlangu, learning and development specialist at Vodacom, finds the competitive environment can lead to clashes. Degree or masters students all want to start as managers and sometimes undermine students that have obtained diplomas.

The future is bright

Engineers in South Africa have a bright future. As continent leaders, we have the advantage of being able to develop skills and make use of them on our own soil. Whats great about South Africa is that the stuff we have here, unlike the rest of Africa, is all homegrown and we should be proud of that, says Pirie. Its a very exciting career. Try and create as broad a base of learning as possible in the initial phases to test where your niche is: is it in management or technical? Where is it, if its technical? Then, once youve created that very broad base, decide what you want to do going forward. Khan adds: Never be afraid to attempt anything. It limits your opportunity to be a successful engineer. You should learn to sell yourself and your skills, as you are a product of engineering.

Lumka Msibi is no ordinary Wits Engineering School graduate.

When she was a youngster, her love of maths and science pointed her to a career in medicine or engineering. My love of flying objects steered me more towards aeronautical engineering, she says exuberantly. I initially wanted to be a pilot, but after researching aeronautical engineering, I knew I wanted to design planes. Currently in her first year as an engineer-in-training at the Engineering Academy of Learning, she is an intern in the Aeronautics and UAV Department of the Mechanical Engineering Group at Denel Dynamics. Despite having her head in the clouds, its clear that Msibis feet are firmly on the ground. I think as an engi-

neer-in-training, its important to learn from others, your seniors, fellow interns and team members.

Manini Nhlapos checklist for successful engineers

Have perspective dont focus on problems, focus on solutions. Develop excellent interpersonal skills people are not systems. Integrity deliver on promises so people trust you. Listen not only to what is being said, but importantly, hear what is being communicated.
58

Be a leader
Great university results are not necessarily enough to make you a successful engineer. There are several soft skills required, and although often overlooked, they play a massive part in the success of individuals and companies as a whole. For Pirie, these fall under the umbrella of being a good manager. We run a school of consulting engineering, and of late, weve occupied a vacuum in the management sphere, he says. Weve introduced two mini-MBA

Making mistakes, asking questions and also rectifying mistakes is part of the learningprocess. Lumka Msibi
Despite being a woman in a male-dominated industry, Msibi doesnt notice any disadvantage. Ive experienced more opportunity than challenges in my time here at Denel Dynamics, and Ive been embraced by my co-workers and fellow interns as being an integral part of the team. She gives some sound advice for graduates about to enter the industry. Get experience in the engineering degree that you studied; your exposure to the industry will help you find what you would like to specialise in, should you

wish to do post-graduate studies. To be a successful engineer, you need to do outstanding work no matter what the task is. You must work hard and be willing to learn from your own mistakes. Ask questions, and always remember that engineering is a team effort dont let your team down.

COMPANY LISTING
Eskom www.eskom.co.za Hatch www.hatch.ca Denel Dynamics www.denel.co.za Avance Technologies www.avance-tech.com SKA Africa www.ska.ac.za Siyanda Engineering www.siyandaengineering.co.za Group 5 Construction www.g5.co.za Multichoice www.multichoice.co.za Vodacom www.vodacom.co.za
59

FINANCE

SUCCESS FOLLOWS PASSION A MANTRA FOR FINANCE

David A Steynberg

At Bloomberg, everyone is very good at what they do, so in order to be really successful, you have to be exceptional at what you do. I probably learned the most important insight into my career: to be proactive!
Sonia Ramautar

Finance is a living, breathing industry. Whichever limb you inhabit, youll never be far from its beating heart. The world of finance is just about as diverse as the
uses for money. Often, a degree in finance is not an exclusive pass into the club. Professionals with accounting, law, commerce, economics, engineering and business science degrees either jump ship or fall into finance. Either way, you will never be bored or without a job. Graduates must have a Bachelor degree or equivalent work experience, excellent verbal and written communication skills, an interest in finance and be able to adapt quickly to changing environments. Fluency in regional languages will be useful, but is not essential, according to Fahid Naeem, head of EMEA Recruitment at Bloomberg. Bloomberg leads the knowledge economy, delivering the competitive edge through critical information. Through our core product, the Bloomberg Professional service, we connect influential decision-makers across business, finance and government to a thriving network of news, data, people and ideas.

Looking local
Naeem says his organisation is currently recruiting graduates in South Africa to join its Global Data and Analytics and Sales teams. In Global Data, graduates will join teams across renewable energy and specific asset class areas, and will be responsible for updating, maintaining and processing data, he explains. Graduates who join Analytics and Sales will spend the first one-to-three years in London, in the Analytics department, before moving to Sales and transferring to our regional office in Johannesburg. Globally, Bloomberg recruits 750 entry-level employees into its businesses across the US, EMEA and Asia Pacific. About 20 of these roles are based in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Bloomberg recruits graduates into full-time, entry-level roles. When you join as a graduate at Bloomberg, you are given training specific to your department, says Naeem.

Proactive passion
One such graduate is Sonia Ramautar, a UCT business science, finance and accounting graduate, who works in Bloombergs Cape Town office as an interim earnings estimate researcher. I attended most of the career fairs at UCT, she says. I spoke to people who were passionate about the company they worked for, and a few great people who were also passionate about helping me find my ideal career path. One such encounter was when I explained my predicament to a representative at a careers fair about wanting to work for Bloomberg, but that there were no job openings at that time. He told me to call the company nonetheless and express an interest in it. It was here where I probably learned the most important insight into my career:
61

You will continue to receive on-the-job training, and have the opportunity to enrol in courses via the Bloomberg University to further your development. Fahid Naeem
Graduates join alongside other fulltime employees and will be given real responsibility straight away. There is an expectation that you deliver quickly and add real value back to the projects and tasks youre assigned. Graduates will have the opportunity to drive their own careers forward and be part of a fast-paced, thriving environment.

60

FINANCE

>>>>>> SMART >>>>>> BOLD >>>>>> OPEN >>>>>> DYNAMIC

Sonia Ramautar from Bloomberg

to be proactive! Six months later, Ramautar applied for a job at Bloomberg. I asked the Bloomberg employee who was interviewing me whether the company was conducive to progressing even as a graduate. He said something that continued to echo during the following parts of the interview process, and that was, At Bloomberg, everyone is very good at what they do, so in order to be really successful, you

have to be exceptional at what you do. As a student, this was very daunting, but as I reflected on what I liked about the company and what I wanted to achieve in my career, I saw it as a challenge.

The other side of the pond

South Africa doesnt have as many structured graduate schemes as the UK, which means that top talent will be more visible, says Naeem. As the market is developing in South Africa, there are more small companies which dont have the infrastructure to support graduate schemes. While there are a number of global companies that have a presence in South Africa, most will only offer graduate programmes back in their head office locations.

I sought to be exceptional in the products and services that I worked with at Bloomberg. Sonia Ramautar

LEAD WITH IDEAS >>>>>>>>>

OPPORTUNITIES IN SALES & ANALYTICS AND GLOBAL DATA
Bloomberg, the global nancial information and news leader, gives inuential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The Bloomberg Professional service is at the core of our service, which provides real time nancial information to more than 315,000 subscribers globally.

Want to join the JSE?

Searching for a sexy career in finance? Then being close to the beating heart of South Africas listed sector will appeal to you. The Registered Persons Examinations form part of the required qualifications to perform certain functions on the JSE, such as managing investments, providing investment advice, executing trades, compliance and settlement, says Christie-Anne van Wyngaardt, GM of the SA Institute of FinancialMarkets.
62

OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATES

Bloomberg is currently looking for graduates to join our Sale & Analytics programme starting in London then returning to Johannesburg. We are also recruiting graduates to join Global Data across renewable energy and specic asset class teams based in Cape Town.

Personal touch
A sector often overlooked by graduates is that of financial advisory services. Its not viewed as sexy as asset management is, for example, according to Kim Frost, a certified financial planner and director of Bespoke Financial Services.

ARE YOU THE NEW TYPE B? SMART, BOLD, OPEN, DYNAMIC

For more information and to apply online visit: jobs.bloomberg.com
2012 Bloomberg L.P. All rights reserved. 49584976 0712

grad @ work

FINANCE

Sia Chimbganda

Its a wonderful industry and is worthwhile, because you could give a really great service to clients, but you could also make it a very lucrative career, she says. The need for good financial advice is greater than it has ever been in a world of great uncertainty. The industry is going through retirement reform, which will affect how people will have retirement and provident funds, and how they will merge. Some of the proposals are that when you leave your job or change work, youre going to have to preserve your benefits, says Frost, an independent adviser. So the idea is to get people

to be better savers. The underlying aspects are very good because people are simply not saving, and if they dont save then they become a burden on government and society as a whole.

requires you to have learned various life lessons early on, and your lack of wrinkles will likely count against you. A lot of people who are retiring are not necessarily going to entrust their lifesavings to a new graduate who hasnt experienced life as they have, says Frost. You need to be a good communicator. You need to want to make a difference. Often, youll be a mini-psychologist with a financial background, because a lot of money decisions are emotional decisions, and if you dont understand the persons relationship with their money, youll never be able to construct a plan that theyre going to stick to over a long period of time. For a young person entering this industry, they would be making a very wise career choice, because there is less competition than previously, she says, adding it is also a career that performs an important function in society today. Years ago, people would retire at 63 and live to 72, and in that retirement phase, you had to make your money work for a very short and compacted time. And now the scenario is of increasing longevity. You have people who now will be in that phase in almost as long as the accumulation phase, with people retired for 30 to 35 years. The need for very good financial advice is vital. You cant go to an 80-year-old and say, Sorry, I made a mistake. You need to go back to work. There is no rectification.

Still, it has created a fair amount of uncertainty for the industry, as people are unsure how it will affect their businesses. This is one of the many aspects that are making it harder to start a financial advisory business.
Frost says the barriers to entry, and continued business, have become so high, unconfirmed figures of 18% of practitioners leaving the industry exist. All financial service providers have had to write regulatory exams, she says. A lot of people who have been in the industry for years have fallen out as a result. Its a concern because the average age of advisers is 56 or 57, and there are very few young advisers coming through. Normally, people would go from institutional to independent, but the leap has gotten greater because of the costs involved. Frost knows this all too well, having started her own practice 10 years ago. Besides the costs, financial planning is a disciplined career path, as it takes years to build a client base and sustainable business. The double-edged sword for graduates is the fact that this is a career which

NEVER GIVE UP

Twenty-five-year-old Sia Chimbganda was raised by her grandmother in Zimbabwe. She had dreams of becoming a lawyer while in high school, until a friend inspired her to pursue bankinginstead. After school, Chimbganda left for South Africa and completed her undergraduate and honours degrees in finance at the University of Johannesburg. She spent the next full year sending out her CV, refusing to give up. It paid off. Chimbganda began working at Bespoke Financial Services in March this year. I looked for a small, independent financial company, because in a big company they get you to focus on one specific area, she says. In a small company, you learn just about everything about the business.

According to Chimbganda, the keys to success include having analytical skills, being a team player and being humble enough to ask someone when youre not sure about something.

woman in a mans industry. She advises graduates to be patient when searching for a job and exercising that same patience when they start working. You dont get to the top so quickly. You have to learn everything small things really do count, so dont take them for granted.

CV stands for certainly vital

Your CV is the first impression any company has of you. Usually it is read by an overworked PA before it is passed on to the HR manager. Here are some tips to get you noticed. Ensure that your CV is: Current and relevant Factually correct and without any gaps Keyword-friendly Above all, personal and different, so you will stand out from the crowd.
64

I am in love with finance and look forward to my job each day. I think about it at night before I go tosleep. Sia Chimbganda
Character traits Chimbganda admires include her grandmothers giving nature and her bosss aspiring attitude and work ethic. When Kim [Frost] interviewed me, she talked about how few women there were in this sector. Shes a go-getter and is always working, says Chimbganda. Its like shes trying to stand above the rest because shes a

COMPANY LISTING
Absa www.absa.co.za Bloomberg www.bloomberg.com Fin24 www.fin24.com FNB www.fnb.co.za Nedbank www.nedbank.co.za RMB www.rmb.co.za The Reserve Bank www.resbank.co.za Reuters www.reuters.com Stats SA www.statssa.gov.za
65

FMCG

Antoinette Else (left) & graduates from Clover

THE NEED FOR SPEED

Rodney Weidemann

FMCG
man resources development manager at Clover. She says a diverse range of opportunities exist across multiple disciplines and regardless of the graduates initial qualification, there is always the opportunity to move between disciplines. Walmarts entry into the South African market will undoubtedly present new employment opportunities too. From a Clover perspective, we do not, however, believe that Walmarts entry will have any direct influence on our approach to the acquisition of talent. As long as we continue to be viewed as a preferred employer, we should be able to compete with the best when it comes to acquiring the top talent weneed. Natasha Tilakdharee, talent manager for Unilever SA, adds that the FMCG industry is a dynamic and exciting sector to work in, and there are many opportunities for graduates to explore. mands implied by operating in a different culture and where there is a different approach to business. While it may be stimulating and potentially financially rewarding functioning as an expatriate when you are a recently qualified graduate would obviously be quite challenging, she cautions. Tilakdharee also believes the growth and investment in developing and emerging markets is opening up vast opportunities across Africa for graduates to pursue. At Unilever, for example, our graduate programme called the Unilever Future Leaders Programme recruits the best graduates from around the African continent. Those selected to be on the programme also have the opportunity to work in different African markets, and learn best practices.
67

It is definitely your attitude towards your work and others that will make or break your traineeship; you only get out what you put in. My advice to graduates interested in joining SAB would be simple: do a site visit of some FMCG plants and learn about the different departments.
Stuart Grondel
66

Consumer goods is an industry constantly on the lookout for new recruits. The fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector in South
Africa is massive, and as such, is expected to play a major role in providing employment to vast numbers of graduates when they leave university. Furthermore, with Walmart set to enter the South African market, greatly stimulating competition in the sector, this is likely to open even more doors for graduates seeking to enter this exciting industry. Add to this the growing focus on expansion into the rest of Africa by South African FMCG companies, and the relative economic strengths of these emerging markets, and this is quite clearly a great market segment in which to build a career.

From careers in engineering and supply chain to finance and marketing, the FMCG sector has a wide spectrum of career options available for graduates to consider. This is the sector I would recommend to all graduates who enjoy being in a fast-paced environment with opportunities for innovation. Natasha Tilakdharee
Else adds that Africa is also opening up new opportunities for graduates, as there are examples of certain retail outlets having successfully established themselves in the rest of Africa. Of course, there are also added de-

How you benefit

The general prospects for graduates entering the FMCG market are excellent at present, according to Antoinette Else, hu-

FMCG

Natasha Tilakdharee from Unilever

Bring your difference.

The BAT South Africa Management Trainee Programme

BAT

Best degrees
Engineering and finance are definitely scarce skills in the sector, she continues, pointing out that Unilever partners with organisations involved in developing and cultivating theseskills. Unilever considers candidates studying most degrees, including BCom, Bachelor of Business Science, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Psychology, Engineering and the Sciences.

Furthermore, we have definitely entered the digital and social media age, where companies have a new platform to connect with their consumers. Antoinette Else
Most marketing and business degrees have incorporated elements of social media as part of their curriculum, which is great for entrants into this sector. For students who have a passion for this type of career, the mar-

ket is definitely on the lookout for greattalent. Else says at Clover, the main degrees sought include BSc (food science/food technology), BTech (biotechnology), BCom (logistics), BCom (marketing/ sales), engineering (degree/diploma) and a range of management qualifications. The sector operates across the whole value chain, so qualifications in almost all disciplines can be accommodated. Other qualifications may include IT (degree/diploma), finance (degree/diploma), HR (degree/diploma) and even qualifications in law and risk management. According to Rudhir Ramasar, graduate and bursar consultant at South African Breweries (SAB), the company looks for graduates with honours in the information sciences when it comes to IT.

An ideal (working) world

Universum South Africas annual survey of over 16 900 tertiary students suggests that marketing students view fast moving consumer goods companies as the ideal place to work in their first job after graduation. The survey suggests that working at large FMCG companies is very attractive to marketing students, thanks to the diverse product range and the great experience gained at thesecompanies.
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British American Tobacco (BAT) South Africa is offering exceptional graduates an opportunity to bring their difference and to be a part of our BAT Global Management Trainee Programme. Bring Your Difference

www.batsa.co.za | www.bat-careers.com

FMCG

Other key degrees that could get you into the organisation are industrial engineering, chemical engineering, biochemistry, business science and marketing. Most importantly, if you have a mechanical engineering or mechatronics qualification, you should talk to us, as we are always on the hunt for people with these qualifications.

Obviously, people with the BA and administrative-type degrees will do well, because FMCG is a paper-intensive business, but marketing is important, as is finance and IT. However, I dont believe a traditional degree is enough anymore; in my experience, it is equally critical to have the soft skills to back it up, she says. Personally, I think service levels and customer service are possibly even more important skills to have than any given degree, since such skills are critical for customer retention, which is vital for any FMCG operation.

that has hired them will soon reach a point where it has a host of young, forward-thinking managers. One can only imagine the exciting things that will stem from this.

Capitalising on a graduate programme

The Unilever Future Leaders Programme is an accelerated, three-year development programme that provides graduates with cross-functional business exposure, says Tilakdharee. As part of the programme, graduates also have an opportunity to go on an overseas assignment to gain exposure to different business markets. It is an exciting and fast-paced programme, where good performance will lead to graduates becoming managers at the end of the programme. Ramasar says SAB is very selective in its recruitment process, accepting only around 25 to 30 graduates per annum. The majority of our intake is focused on engineers chemical engineers for brewing, mechanical engineers for the packing side of the business, and industrial engineers for the supply chain. Our graduate programme also encompasses IT, finance, marketing and control and automation, whereby we look for a mechatronics qualification. The scope and scale of our programme does change periodically due to our current business requirements.

Recruitment view
Peta Lee, regional manager at Cozens Recruitment, says the FMCG sector is one of the first places many graduates end up when they leave university, for the simple reason that there is a wide range of available jobs.

Simba, the leading salty snack company in South Africa, is well known for roaring with avour and quality and has been part of the family of life for many South Africans for over 50 years. Simba is owned by PepsiCo International. Simba PepsiCo is looking for innovative leaders with the right t to come and join our 2014 Accelerate Graduate Programme. This 2 year graduate programme is designed to offer students functional exposure, growth and leadership development. Looking for careers in the following elds:
Engineering (All) Finance Accounting HR, Industrial Relations, Psychology, Industrial Psychology and the Social Sciences Environmental Health & Safety, Occupational Health & Safety Food Science and Technology Marketing We will be coming to a career fair near you, come join us to learn more about us and our loved brands. Contact us at simba.recruitment@pepsico.com Applications close 30 August 2013 Follow us on our Facebook and Twitter pages for Doritos and Mountain Dew for more information about us: DoritosSA DoritosSouthAfrica MountainDewSA

Market rankings
According to Universum South Africas annual survey of the places students would most like to work at on leaving university, three of the top five companies sit within the FMCG sector: 1. Coca-Cola South Africa 2. Unilever 3. Google 4. South African Breweries 5. Vodacom
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Lee points out that there are courses and training schools that teach these skills. Thus, she recommends graduates put the effort into learning these. After all, she says, it is about what makes you stand out when applying for a job.
Social media is also opening up new career paths in this sector, and more and more, organisations will be looking to employ people that can offer these new skills. Handling Facebook from a marketing perspective, for example, and writing applications for phones and tablets are areas that are gaining increasing attention. After social junior group all, if there are graduates with media skills coming in at the level and developing as a of employees, the organisation

FMCG

Stuart Grondel from SAB

Rainbow Chicken
That is not to say that jobs are not available for people who do not meet the minimum criteria for our graduateprogramme. My advice is to establish what you want out of a career before beginning your job search. Look at which industries interest you and compile a list of companies you really admire. This allows you to narrow down who youd like to work for, providing you with direction and an end goal to work towards. According to Else, Clover takes in between six and 18 young graduates on an annual basis, as part of the Clover Young Professional Development Programme, in various disciplines. Graduates who show a good fit in terms of performance and culture may be offered a permanent appointment, should the opportunity present itself, she says, adding that the normal recruitment of graduates is also done when positions become available in Clover for which a formal qualification is required.

The programme exposes graduates to the various aspects of the Clover business, by means of a structured 12-month programme, under the mentorship of an assigned workplace coach. Antoinette Else

Perseverance pays off

Stuart Grondel is a packaging technical trainee at SAB, who says he has a naturally inquisitive mind for all things mechanical. This, coupled with the prospect of doing problem-solving in teams and individually, and working on matters that directly influence society, was among the reasons for choosing to study mechanical engineering. He says graduates seeking to get into a programme especially at SAB must

Capitalising on recovery
Certain FMCG players have been quick to capitalise on Africas economic recovery. Shoprite, in particular, has done extremely well in Africa over the past 15 years. Massmart, too, has done well in the rest of Africa, though this is somewhat outside the generally accepted ambit of FMCG retailers.
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FMCG

When building you career, you need to think big.

Think international brands. Think Reckitt Benckiser.
never give up. At the end of my final year of study, I applied for SABs Graduate Programme and was turned down after making it through to the final round of interviews. After six months as a deckhand-engineer on board a 30-metre super yacht in the Mediterranean, I worked for a friends fathers company in SA while deciding on my next career move. As it turned out, I enjoyed the work, which was in the manufacture of keg filling plants and process filtration solutions for the brewing industry, mostly SAB. Therefore, after 14 months, I applied for SABs Graduate Programme again, and was successful. He says being immersed in the packaging environment of a huge brewery is incredible, and he has learned that people are the epicentre of a manufacturing plant. Therefore, I have started to study many aspects of working with people in order to get the most out of our machines. A lot of this training is provided by the company, while the rest is up to me. I have attended many theoretical and practical training courses sponsored by the company on technical and soft skills. about the different departments. For example, it is pretty important to know the difference between brewing and packaging before applying for a job at a brewery!

Other skills
At Clover, there are many other skills that are important for those seeking to be part of the FMCG world. Else says high energy levels, the ability to think on your feet, being flexible yet decisive, being a good team player and demonstrating the ability to manage and lead on both a personal and professional level, are all critical skills. Unilever, in turn, looks for graduates who demonstrate leadership potential and a passion for winning. Tilakdharee says this includes demonstrating skills such as responsibility, resilience and teamwork.

FMCG and social media Coca-Cola has tried many different marketing campaigns. In order to be a social media success on Facebook, the company realised the easiest way to reach an audience and build a fan-base is through status or photo updates that encourage comments, likes andshares.
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It is not a job for the faint-hearted, states Grondel, pointing out that it requires one to be an excellent manager of ones time. Furthermore, you are expected to put your hand up and take on projects or challenges as often aspossible.
Ive tried to spend every minute at work learning something new, and also worked many extra hours to do the same, whether at the plant or reading up at home. Its clear that while prior technical knowledge is important for the job, it is definitely your attitude towards your work and others that will make or break your traineeship; you only get out what you put in. My advice to graduates interested in joining SAB would be simple: do a site visit of some FMCG plants and learn

We also welcome those graduates who have an interest in sustainability and making a positive environmental impact. Natasha Tilakdharee
Ramasar says SAB looks for people who are extremely results-driven and who demonstrate resilience. This is an extremely demanding environment, and youd be hard-pressed to find many other companies in South African that will push you as hard as

Be a part of the team that is setting the pace in household, health and personal care around the world, with Reckitt Benckiser. By thinking innovatively and taking calculated risks, we continue to drive the growth of our brands around the world. As a graduate, this means you get the opportunity to develop an international career, and the satisfaction that comes from driving a dynamic global business to greaterheights. Make the most of your passion and visit www.rb.com to begin your exciting career today.

FMCG

Rudhir Ramasar from SAB

Do you have the heart, the smarts and the skills to work for a top global brewer?
Find out more about career opportunities in our beer and soft drink divisions.

SAB

SAB does. Therefore, it takes a certain kind of person to make it here. Ultimately, it depends on whether you have the drive to succeed within a global market leader which constantly strives to exceed industry best practice across all functional areas. We work hard and play hard in every aspect of what we do, and never compromise on the quality of our work.

comes to career paths, the sky is quite literally the limit.

At SAB, there are opportunities for you to try virtually anything, as long as you are able to demonstrate your capability. Rudhir Ramasar
For example, brewing graduates come into one of our programmes, which are between 18 to 24 months, and they obtain both practical and in-class skills training.

From there, they are handed management exposure and then the options really open up. They can move into general management, or process engineering, focus on becoming a master brewer or a brewery manager all of this is achievable, provided they can demonstrate they are capable. Clover is involved across the entire supply chain, states Else, so a range of possible career paths exist in the company. We have several examples of where individuals have moved rapidly up the ranks, both within and across business units. At Unilever, graduates can pursue careers in supply chain (manufacturing, logistics, procurement and planning), marketing, customer development, finance, human resources and research and development, according to Tilakdharee.

Sky is the limit

Ramasar says with SAB, when it

The Walmart issue

The presence of Walmart in the local FMCG landscape has begun to bring in changes which are benefiting the South African consumer. Massmarts ability to cut prices comes from the widely publicised buying power its American parent can exert on suppliers to leverage better deals. This places competitive pressure on Massmarts competitors. However, the real impact of Walmarts acquisition of Massmart, and its new business model, will be on supply chaincosts.
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Applications close: 16 August 2013 Apply at www.sabcareers.co.za

GRAD @ WORK

FMCG

Jade Wright

In general, we expect all our graduates to develop their skills around effective communication, understanding different cultures and adapting to change. With the fast-paced environment in FMCG, graduates following any career path within our organisation need to be resilient.

mend the FMCG sector to anyone, as it has a range of opportunities to offer and is an exciting industry to join. It is important for graduates to research the companies that interest them, and they need to relate to the companys vision and mission they must try to join a company that they find resonance with. At Unilever, for example, we have an ambitious agenda to double our South African business by 2015, while reducing our environmental footprint and increasing our positive social impact.

enormous passion and commitment in your drive to obtain a job, it will demonstrate to the company the qualities you will bring to the table once you are hired. Grondel suggests that from his own experience, if it is at all possible, graduates should choose a company whose brands they are passionate about.

ADAPT AND ADVANCE

Word of advice
In closing, she says she would recom-

All about Walmart

Walmart is the largest company by turnover in the world, and now does 25% of its total business outside of the US. Its primary operational principle is every day low prices. Key to lowering price is squeezing out costs, and this is done largely through cutting-edge supply chain management principles. The companys in-stock policy is also unparalleled, and it is a supply chain management expert across the board.
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Lee says from a recruitment perspective, you can come out of university with any degree you like, but unless you also have enthusiasm, passion and a will to succeed, you wont get veryfar.
Persistence is critical because you will find yourself in a market where there are more graduates than there are jobs, so dont give up. Also, dont rely on a piece of paper to sell yourself; in other words, dont merely send out your CV, rather try for face-to-face interaction. Also remember you have to try to stand out from the crowd. Finally, dont take no for an answer if you can show

That said, manufacturing companies have a way of building pride in their employees. I just feel a lot happier drinking a Castle after a days work in the knowledge that I was part of the production. Stuart Grondel
Else offers a final word of advice: Be like a sponge take in all you can get, particularly during the early stages of your career when you will in all likelihood be exposed to all disciplines as part of your orientation.

Theres a lot to be said for career fairs.

So says Jade Wright, who has been an HR business partner assistant Functions, at Unilever for the past six months. She says she might never have become aware of the Unilever graduate programme otherwise. Wright has now leveraged her Bachelor of Social Science, with honours in organisational psychology, to take the first step in a career in HR, which affords her the opportunity to be a strategic partner to company business leaders. I have been with Unilever for around 18 months now, and have learned it is important to build credibility and trust, but you also need to have influencing skills so that your customers believe in the advice you are proposing. This latter area is where I have seen plenty of

growth and development in my skills, says Wright. A personal learning for me has been to become more flexible.

sure you can handle the pace! Speak to people in the sector to gain insight into their experiences and also keep abreast of the industry trends.

When you have a customerfacing role, you cannot plan ahead and account for all activities in your day something unexpected always comes up! Jade Wright
One therefore needs to be able to adapt and change to the situation at hand. If you want to earn your seat at the table, she adds, you need to be able to show how your role impacts on the business agenda, and you need to be the first one to believe in that, to ensure your customers believe in you aswell. The FMCG sector is fast moving in more ways than one, so be

COMPANY LISTING
BAT www.batsa.co.za Clover www.clover.co.za Distell www.distell.co.za I&J www.ij.co.za Nestl www.nestle.co.za PepsiCo www.pepsico.com Pick n Pay www.picknpay.co.za Rainbow Chicken www.rainbowchickens.co.za Reckitt Benckiser www.rb.com SAB www.sab.co.za Simba www.simba.co.za Tiger brands www.tigerbrands.co.za Tongaat Hulett www.tongaat.com
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Arrive early; leave late. Be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up. And remember, this is a fast moving environment so it is important that you stay fit and healthy and continually look for ways in which you can add value to the business.

ICT

2013 Accenture. All rights reserved.

Saeeda Khan from Multichoice

INVENTING THE FUTURE

Lance Harris
2012/13

An ICT career is vibrant and at the heart of our ever-evolving digital lifestyles. Forget the idea that you need to
be a geek to embark on a career in ICT, as well as the notion that this industry is boring if youre not technically minded. Today, working in this dynamic sector means being right at the heart of trends that are changing how we live and the ways that businesses around the world operate. Of course, your skills will be in demand if you know how to write tight code or how to install and manage a network. But people who understand business processes, who have financial acumen, and who have the skills to lead complex projects are as much in demand in the ICT industry as the hardcore techies.
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IT is always evolving and provides lots of opportunities for graduates to be innovative, says Manini Nhlapo, graduate co-ordinator at DStv, which is part of the Multichoice Group. It is a very broad field that offers diverse roles and opportunities you wont need to do the same stuff at work everyday. Your obvious options might include working as a software developer or business analyst, working with storage or server technologies, or becoming a hardware or networking engineer. But skills such as project management, marketing, sales and technical writing are also in high demand in the ICT industry. You could begin your career as junior software developer, before deciding to specialise in a particular technology. A few years later, you might decide

youd like to become a project manager and grow your skills towards a management position. The path could branch into any number of roads, depending on your skills and interests. In fact, some of the jobs that the industry has created in the past few years barely existed as little as 10 years ago one example being the role of the data scientist.

IT is already ruling the world. Can you think of a single business, organisation, or institution that does not have an IT system assisting in its smooth functioning? Minal Parbhoo

This is your invitation to join an organisation offering greater opportunity, greater challenge and greater satisfaction. An organisation dedicated to teamwork and collaboration. For the fourth year in a row, Accenture has been recognised as one of the top employers in South Africa by the CRF Institute. Our capabilities are so broad, you can even change jobs without ever changing companies. Talk to Accenture and discover how great you can be. Visit accenture.com/gradSA

Accenture

Like Accenture SA Follow accentureSAjobs on Twitter

ICT
Hungry for graduates
Companies that develop, sell, and implement IT systems for other organisations for example, IBM, Microsoft and Accenture are especially keen to recruit graduates with relevant qualifications. So are the big telecoms network operators such as Telkom, MTN, and Vodacom. There are also opportunities for IT graduates at end-user organisations, such as the South African Revenue Service, First National Bank, Absa, Multichoice and many others.

For graduates, a career in ICT could mean a diverse experience working across a range of industries, says Luan McArthur-Grill, talent sourcing and graduate recruitment lead for Accenture in South Africa. A graduate might get an opportunity to work for a mining firm, a food and beverages manufacturer, or a bank in a wide range of technical and business roles, she adds.

als, and will continue to increase this number each year.

What employers want

A good degree or diploma in a related field is just the entry point into a career in the ICT industry. Employers and graduates working in the sector say personal qualities such as flexibility, creative thinking and capacity for hard work are just as important as technical skills. People skills matter because teamwork and collaboration are part of the job. Accenture looks for graduates who are self-starters, says McArthur-Grill. They need to be adaptable enough to keep up with constant change in the market, and in the technologies they work on, she says. In addition to good problem-solving skills, they must also have excellent interpersonal and presentation skills.

Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, is aggressively recruiting graduates to form part of itsteam.
For 2014, it hopes to recruit 20 to 30 graduates for its technology consulting business alone. The Multichoice graduate programme recruits students who have completed or who are working towards degrees in fields such as information systems, computer sciences and electrical engineering. This year, Multichoice aims to recruit about 16 graduates across those disciplines, Nhlapo says. Another company searching for graduates is software house DVT. CEO and founder Chris Wilkins says the company has an internship programme through which interns are managed, mentored and exposed to the right variety of projects. DVT is currently providing internships to more than 60 graduates and entry-level profession-

DSTV

Mash it up
The collision of IT with other industries and disciplines is creating the exciting new jobs of tomorrow. Some examples: Art and tech are converging in computerised art, videogames, and simulations. Digital media demands lent communications skills. Data science blends business acumen with training and skills in IT, statistics,

First of all, we look for grads who are hard-working. They have to be innovative in their thinking, able to take initiative, and resilient in the face of rapid change. Manini Nhlapo
We dont just look at their marks we also look at their personal qualities and their cultural fit with our organisation. Saeeda Khan, DStv technology graduate at Multichoice, completed a BSc in

tech-savvy people with excel-

analytics and maths.

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GRAD @ WORK

ICT

Minal Parbhoo

computer engineering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She got in touch with Multichoice after the company visited her campus. For her, Multichoices graduate programme was appealing because of the opportunities it offered to work in more than one department a year. She says graduates who want to succeed in this industry must be able to sell themselves as a product. People need to believe in your value, she says. Perseverance and confidence are other important qualities for the successful IT professional, Khan notes. You must be willing to adapt to the environment. You cant be too single-minded you must be willing to learn new skills and languages all thetime.

Disruption and innovation

The size of the ICT industry has grown faster than the available base of skills. The central role that technology plays in nearly every sector today means there is no shortage of work for graduates with the right qualifications andprofile.

nologies, local network operators are working fast to roll-out high-speed mobile data networks. The result is massive demand for mobile app developers as well as mobile network engineers. Elsewhere in the industry, cloud computing is also creating a wealth of new job opportunities across areas such as virtualisation and storage. And with South African businesses and consumers doing more transactions on the Internet, information security skills are also highly sought after.Big data is another important catchphrase its all about making sense of the massive volumes of data companies collect every day. People able to help organisations manage this data by analysing the trends it reveals so they can understand their markets and customers better are in massive demand. ICT isnt just about business, but also about solving social, environmental and health problems. Speaking at a breakfast in late 2012, Rabelani Dagada, president of the Computer Society of South Africa, noted the ICT industry will be central to the growth of the countrys economy in the years to come. ICT will play a prominent role in three critical domains in Africa, namely: agricultural biotechnology, health innovation systems, and energy, he predicted. People who build ICT skills can play a role in helping to build a better world.

A SENSE OF BALANCE

The global IT industry is expected to be worth $3.7 trillion in 2013, a two percent increase from 2012 spending of $3.6 trillion, says research firm Gartner.
In South Africa, the ICT sector has created more than 37 000 new jobs since 2010, according to communications minister, Dina Pule. The industry contributes an estimated 8% to the national economy, Pule said earlier this year. Though the IT industry as a whole is not expanding as fast as it was in the late 1990s, there are still many sectors in the market that are enjoying explosive growth. In South Africa and other African countries, growth will be especially robust because the market is far from saturation. For example, South Africa still has a lot of work to do in rolling out broadband networks to bring the Internet to more of the population. With the advent of 3G and now longterm evolution (or 4G) mobile tech-

Wits graduate Minal Parbhoo wanted a career in IT that would allow her to strike a balance between business and technology in her day-to-day work.
That is exactly what she has found in her role as a junior analyst atAccenture. Parbhoo graduated with a BCom majoring in information systems and finance, followed by an honours degree in information systems. She chose these courses because she wanted to be close to the latest technology without taking on a deeply technical jobrole.

nical aspects during my studies, I focused more on the business aspect, which has worked out great for me. She first came into contact with Accenture at a university career fair, and researched the company. After she discovered that Accenture was a leader in its field in South Africa and the rest of the world, she put the company at the top of her list. Her application led to an invitation to take part in the Accenture Adventure Bootcamp, in July 2012. This opened the door for her. Parbhoo is currently shadowing members of the SAP Financial Services team at one of Accentures global mining clients. A typical day takes place at the clients site in the Johannesburg CBD, where she monitors the project for defects, helps with SAP configuration, and helps her team as she isneeded.

You dont need to be overly tech-savvy to succeed in the ICT industry you just need just need to be hard working, willing to learn and a quick learner, she says.

COMPANY LISTING
Accenture www.accenture.com Business Connexion www.bcx.co.za Dimension Data www.dimensiondata.com FNB www.fnb.co.za IBM www.ibm.com Microsoft www.microsoft.com MTN www.mtn.com Multichoice www.multichoice.co.za www.graduate.dstv.com Telkom www.telkom.co.za T-Systems www.t-systems.co.za Vodacom www.vodacom.com
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Into Africa
Africa, outside of South Africa, is becoming an attractive option for young ICT professionals looking to expand their horizons with international experience. Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Dimension Data and many other IT companies are investing millions of dollars into the continent. It is seen as a region of opportunity, with fastgrowing demand for technology andservices.
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Studying IS allowed me to be a part of the excitement of IT without being a programmer. Minal Parbhoo
While I explored some of the tech-

MINING

LOTS TO DIG IN MINING

Donovan Jackson

Your career in a key primary industry can take many forms.

focus their recruitment efforts on engineering students.

You need to be humble at all times and not let it go to your head. Engineers want to follow traditional ways of doing things. While there is good in this approach, things are changing fast and you must be able to roll with the tide.
Jacob Diale
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South Africas abundant natural resources have put mining at the centre of the countrys history and development since the discovery of diamonds on the banks of the Orange River back in 1867. That heralded the start of a literal and figurative gold rush, spurring waves of European immigration, several conflicts, and sowing the seeds of what is today still the African continents most powerful economy. For the graduate, the mining industry offers the promise of a stellar career and because large mining companies are international concerns, choosing to work in the mining industry means you can spread your wings and go anywhere if you are a valued employee. But, while the range of careers available in mining spans everything from administration and clerical jobs, to business analysts, law, employment and IT specialists, the core business of mining is engineering. It is thanks to engineering expertise that minerals can be extracted from the ground efficiently and safely, before they are processed and sold on international markets. As a result, most mining companies

Getting on board
Thats confirmed by Maryanne Trollope, senior human resources manager at Anglo American. We employ far more engineers than any other profession. We start by building a talent pipeline from a bursary level, awarding these to make sure we have the talent that we are looking for. While academic ability is a criterion, its far from the only one. We look for people who we believe have the potential to become an employee. That means looking at longer term potential; important characteristics include good academics, but also demonstrations of leadership. Trollope says the attributes that single

out those with potential come in many forms. It could be roles that youve performed, such as being a prefect, or initiatives with which youve been involved in the community. We really look for people who have made a difference and not necessarily just as an academic. Well-rounded people usually make the best employees.

sonal lives. You need to have excellent people and communication skills, which can be acquired and developed during the learning period. We want go-getters and those who have a strong belief that the impossible is always possible.

What to expect
Should you land a bursary or a job with a mining company, what can you expect? Apart from working very hard and being challenged, the rewards are great. We aim to nurture graduates through the system, with a focus on providing the required back work, if needed, to qualify, says Trollope. Pretorius points out that it is most definitely not only those who come through bursary programmes who are employed by the big mining companies. We take in graduates above
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Christenette Pretorius, human resources co-ordinator at Anglo Americans Thermal Coal business, says the company looks for people with a passion for what they are studying.
You spend most of your life at work, so we dont want people who have no drive to excel and build bright futures. Secondly, we like well-rounded individuals, people who can strike a balance between their work and per-

MINING

Maryanne Trollope from Anglo American

3 JOBS. 2 CONTINENTS. 5 YEARS.

LET YOUR CAREER DEFY GRAVITY
the feed that we have from the bursar pipeline. Thats particularly true for those areas of the business in which bursaries are not offered, which include HR, supply chain, safety, marketing and information management, survey and VOHE (ventilation and occupational hygiene engineering). However, most of our recruits are drawn from University of Technology and University of Science students. Pretorius says that like many large mining concerns, Anglo Americans Thermal Coal business has a structured graduate programme, which is designed to provide individuals with all the technical knowledge and experience necessary for their employment. Reflecting the complexity and responsibility of working in a mine, she says the duration of the programmes vary between two and three years. The development programmes dont only impart knowledge; they also provide graduates with the opportunity to gain leadership qualities.

BLAST PROGRAMME 2014

BLAST is the acronym for our exciting Building Leaders and Shaping Talent programme which is open to a select group of high achievers. If you meet the following criteria, you could be an eligible candidate.

Do you:
Have an exceptionally strong academic record? Graduate at the end of 2013 with a four-year or post graduate degree in disciplines that are relevant to our business such as engineering, science, commerce, IT, risk management, sustainability and environmental studies and other mining related disciplines? Demonstrate strong leadership qualities? Possess drive, ambition and a passion for new challenges? Actively participate in campus and community life? Want to work among the best people in the business? BLAST is an intensive and highly personalised development programme which will give you the opportunity to work in three positions on two continents over a ve-year period. Have you got what it takes to be among the best and make a lasting difference to the partners and communities we serve?

One job, for life?

De Beers geologist Peter Smith* says he joined the diamond mining company practically straight out of school in the mid-1990s. I did post-matric and then joined De Beers on a scholarship, studying geology at Stellenbosch, he says. On graduation, Smith entered the workforce. Continuous professional development means constant learning, but that isnt the most exciting thing about working for a large multinational company. As a geologist, you go where the minerals might be. In my case, thats meant extended trips into some far-flung places, like Gabon in equatorial Africa, as well as some nearer ones, like Zimbabwe and Botswana. Smith says the experience of working for De Beers is a rewarding one. Youre really well looked after. Your career prospects are excellent with a clear path; you will be challenged and must constantly learn. While the travel might get a bit much, especially with a young family, its all well worth it. *Name changed as this person is not cleared to speak to thepress.
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Applications open:15 May 2013 Close: 2 August 2013 Please note late applications will unfortunately not be considered.

If you have what it takes, please apply online at: http://angloblast.gradx.net

Real Mining. Real People. Real Difference.

MINING

Home and away Tough times for the mining industry

While South Africa has abundant minerals, getting them out of the ground doesnt come without challenges. The gold mines are some of the deepest in the world but engineering problems are not the major issue. Instead, it is a human resources issue that is arguably the biggest source of difficulty. Thats evidenced by the high levels of strike action on the mines. Hein Boegman, mining industry leader for Africa at PwC, sums up the major trends facing the industry as being mounting cost pressures and shrinking profit margins. Speaking to ABNDigital following the release of PwCs Annual Global Mining Survey, Boegman says: The last year wasnt that bad and has seen a retraction of market capitalisation developed since 2008. Looking forward, were particularly concerned in terms of the margins. The cost pressures are big, its not only wages, its utilities [electricity] and the general upward curve of mining costs, not only in South Africa but worldwide, and the rand basket price of commodities versus the exchange rate. That mining internationally is facing tough times is reflected in the subtitle of PwCs report, which is: Mine: A Confidence Crisis. While South African mines might be characterised by a high level of industrial action, they are far from the only ones facing difficulties. The state of the world economy is a major source of difficulty for the mining industry, as commodity prices are low owing to weak demand. That puts further pressure on the ability for mining companies to achieve a profit. However, despite the challenges that are faced, one essential fact is that the raw materials that come out of mines will always play a critical role in the modern economy. Talented engineers are the people who solve the problems at the coal face that enable mines to be profitable. By finding ways to do things more efficiently, safely and at a lower cost, mine engineers still hold the key to the future of mines.
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While the opportunity to travel is likely at some stage of your career in mining, its not a definite. We like our graduates to gain a thorough understanding of our business before exposing them to opportunities abroad, says Pretorius. This creates a sound foundation but our business is expanding, which means further opportunities abroad are likely. She explains that this means experience in real projects, a necessity to achieve the professional accreditations which are required before mine engineers are considered qualified.

PRACTICAL TRAINING AT THERMAL COAL

OUR GOAL: TO BE THE LEADING GLOBAL MINING COMPANY
Are you a talented individual looking for practical training at a leading global mining company? Anglo Americans Thermal Coal business is offering opportunities for P1 and P2 training in the following disciplines: Mechanical engineering Electrical engineering Control and instrumentation Metallurgical engineering Environment management

Meet engineer Lebo Mphasha, one of the 1,549 women helping us to achieve our goal.
When did you join Thermal Coal? I was fortunate enough to have my studies sponsored by Anglo American and joined the organisation as a graduate in 2005. Its graduate programme exLebo Mphasha, posed me to the world of Mining Manager at mining and confirmed that Goedehoop Colliery I had made the right career choice. During the programme, I worked shifts and was prepared for my Government Certificate of Competence. When did you join Thermal Coal? Opportunities and career paths are definitely available to women coming into the industry. Describe your experience as an engineer. Mining is physically strenuous, even for men, and involves on-the-floor experience in the early days and full days spent underground, However, it is also very rewarding. Women should not expect to be treated differently to men. What do you enjoy about your job? I enjoy production and seeing coal on the belt. For me, it is all about the thrill of seeing a plan come together. What message would you give to graduates aspiring to join Thermal Coal? The opportunities within the organisation are endless. If you are driven and have a passion for what you do, you will get huge gains in terms of experience, exposure and skills.

These are very demanding qualifications and are challenging to achieve. Christenette Pretorius
Besides written exams, there are prerequisites in terms of hours and shifts worked; this practical component can be very difficult to achieve without the support systems provided by an employer.

Requirements:
Mechanical and electrical engineering students - Completed or due to complete S4 - Must have both mechanical and electrical subjects to satisfy Government Certificate of Competence requirements Control and instrumentation - Completed or completing S4 All other disciplines - Completed S1. Applicants must also have or be due to complete S2 Studying at a recognised South African institution South African citizenship If you believe that you can help us achieve our goal, please visit anglothermal.gradx.net or www.angloamerican.com/careers. Follow the links to Careers/Current Vacancies/Job Search. Enter the reference number NR/2301

High performance
Another example of a formal programme is Anglo Americans Blast (building leaders and shaping talent) programme. Trollope says this is a highly customised programme targeted at exceptional people. Those who get on to Blast are given three real jobs on two continents in five years. They

Applications open: 5 August 2013 Close: 12 October 2013

MINING
move through the organisation to get cross-discipline and cross-commodity exposure. As a result, these individuals become highly valuable to the company.

Sas abundant mineral wealth

Gold and diamonds are the first minerals that come to mind when contemplating the South African mining industry. But, while these are big contributors, there is a lot more to it than that, which makes up for the mining industrys market capitalisation of about R833 billion. Among the many minerals which are mined in the country are metals such as chrome, manganese, platinum and vanadium. Together with silicon-based material vermiculite, the country is the worlds biggest producer of these minerals, which are used extensively in industry throughout the world. South Africa has 80% of the worlds known platinum group metals reserves, giving it enormous prominence for a metal that is used in all new cars as part of the catalytic converter in the exhaust system. The prominence of South Africas minerals is further driven home by its status as the second largest producer of ilmenite, palladium, rutile and zirconium. Anyone whos ever travelled through Mpumalanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal will know that there is plenty of coal coming out of South Africas ground, most of it through open cast mines. Go to the North West Province, and platinum mines dominate the landscape. In the Northern Cape, the diamond mines are complemented by the massive iron ore deposits of the Sishen mine, one of the worlds biggest open cast mines. With all these minerals, youd be right to assume that a lot of people work in the mining industry; there are about 500 000 people working in mines across thenation.

Alaska, China, Brazil, Chile, Canada, Australia, London, Luxembourg Trollope says she has South African graduates in all of these offices, making the world truly global for the Blast graduate.
This is a phenomenal opportunity for career development. That also means the people were looking for are exceptional. Its good academics and a whole lot more than that. You need to be a proven leader, and have that something which makes you a step above the rest. Just how hard is it to get a place in a big mining company? We dont have difficulty finding graduates, so the education system is doing its job, says Trollope. However, making it on to a premier programme is understandably tough going. We had 3 500 applications last year. These were narrowed down to 100 interviews, with 25 making it to the assessment centre; ultimately, we took on 10.

AngloGold

Mining by numbers
As an industry which accounts for about a third of the total value of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), the numbers associated with mining are plentiful. They are also big. The
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grad @ work

MINING

Jacob Diale

industrys employer association is the Chamber of Mines, and it provides some great insights into mining, by the numbers.

nations Gross Domestic Product (18%, with 8.6% direct and 10% indirect). Earns more than half of South Africas foreign exchange. Attracts 20% of all investment in thecountry. Contributes over 13% of all corporate tax.

Pays wages of nearly R80 billion every year. Accounts for R78 billion spent in wages and salaries. Mining in South Africa isnt just big business. It is huge business, which has an impact, directly or indirectly, on every citizen especially since 94% of South Africas electricity is made using coal.

Mining in South Africa

Is responsible for giving one million people employment (500 000 direct and 500 000 indirect). Contributes nearly one-fifth of the

CHASING SUCCESS

SA minings biggest employers companies in the world and is headquartered

With a total of over 500 000 people working directly in the mining industry, which companies are the biggest in the business? Heres a selection of the more prominent businesses operating in the local market: Anglo American is one of the largest mining companies in the world. Headquartered in London, its stock is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the JSE. Anglo Americans operations span iron ore, copper, nickel, coal and diamonds. It is also the worlds largest platinum producer (through Anglo American Platinum) and has a presence in Asia, Europe, North America, Australasia and South America. Employs: 100 000 (worldwide) De Beers is a group of companies active in every sector of industrial diamond mining, trading, and industrial manufacturing of diamonds. Its mines are primarily in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Employs: 20 000 Gold Fields is one of the largest mining
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in Johannesburg. Gold Fields has operations in South Africa and Australia. Employs: 49 000 AngloGold Ashanti is a global gold producer, with 21 operations on four continents. Employs: 62 000 Impala Platinum Holdings is a platinum group metals miner, with additional interests in nickel, copper and cobalt. Employs: 53 000 Exxaro Resources is a coal and heavy minerals mining company with operations in Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia. Employs: 11 000 BHP Billiton is an Australian multinational mining and petroleum company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, which maintains a major presence and operations in South Africa. Employs: 46 000 (worldwide) African Rainbow Minerals mines and beneficiates iron ore, manganese ore and alloys, chrome ore and alloys, platinum group metals, copper, nickel and coal. Employs: 12 000
What started out as an interest in chemical engineering eventually led Jacob Diale to study mining engineering on the recommendation of his father. Its a direction he hasnt regretted for an instant. Today, Diale works in the executive office of AngloAmerican. I studied mining engineering at Wits from 2007-2010. That was rewarding, as I realised during my studies that with mining, you touch on a number of different engineering elements, hesays. Just how did he come to be rubbing shoulders with top executives at the company? It started in high school, where Diale says he received a bursary from Anglo American. By 2010, I was told about the Blast programme. I applied for this and got in; right now, Im in the third year of what is a fiveyear programme. Five years is a long time, agrees Diale. My employment proposition is three different jobs on two continents. That means you get to try a lot of different things. You start in your area of expertise, which for me is engineering; in this time I worked to meet all the requirements in order to be able to write my Mine Managers Certificate exams. After that, there are plenty of other places to go. Right now, Im in the CEOs office and working as government relations analyst. strategic workings of business that gets him most excited.

COMPANY LISTING
Anglo American www.angloamerican.co.za AngloGold Ashanti www.anglogold.co.za De Beers Group www.debeersgroup.com Gold Fields www.goldfields.co.za Impala Platinum Holdings www.implats.co.za Exxaro Resources www.exxaro.com BHP Billiton www.bhpbilliton.com African Rainbow Minerals www.arm.co.za
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The programme is great for the exposure, different perspectives and the ability to see business from a different side of the spectrum. Jacob Diale
While he says there are many good parts to his work, it is exposure to the

motoring

MOTORING INDUSTRY CRUISES THROUGH THE DOWNTURN

Lance Harris

The total automotive sector employs over 300 000 people and counting.

Every day is different. I am constantly presented with new challenges in this work environment. I enjoy that I am pushed to think differently and innovatively. You have to put in long hours to excel. Be prepared to be challenged, and when the challenge comes, take it with both hands. Fa-eez Karodia
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As a strategic area for the South African economy, the motoring industry offers excellent growth prospects and fascinating career options for graduates from a wide range ofdisciplines. Employing hundreds of thousands of people, it is one of South Africas major foreign exchange earners. The local motoring sector has been resilient in the midst of a global economic slowdown, offering a combination of growth and stability for people with the right skills. South Africas automotive industry sold more than 623 000 new vehicles in 2012, according to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa). Naamsa says local sales of new vehicles grew by 11% in 2012 to reach roughly R182 billion, while new vehicle export sales added a further estimated R52 billion to industryrevenue. The automotive sector is a major contributor to South Africas GDP. The total automotive sector, including vehicle assem-

blers, employs over 100 000 people in manufacturing and 200 000 in sales and service operations. The automotive sector is a major contributor to South Africas GDP, and as such, offers employment and is a significant player in the countrys economy, says Eugene Afrika, HR consultant at Volkswagen Group South Africa. The industry has continued to show growth, despite a slowdown in economic growth in South Africa, he adds. Vehicle exports have shown particularly good growth, and expectations in the vehicle manufacturing sector are expected to remain positive. Low interest rates, an emerging middle class and replacement of old vehicles all helped to drive this growth, says Retail Motor Industry (RMI) CEO

Jeff Osborne. The RMI expects new vehicle sales to rise by 8% in 2013 over 2012, adds Osborne.

But he warns that rising prices triggered by a weakening rand may put a dampener on growth in the second half of the year. Natural starting point
Even so, the outlook for the sector in the long-term is bullish, thanks to government incentives for the industry as well as a weaker rand helping to drive export sales. Since 1994, government has incentivised export of motor vehicles through the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP). With a newer incentive scheme called the Automotive Production and Development Programme, government aims to stimulate local production to

1.2 million vehicles a year by 2020. The new programme aims to increase local content in cars and targets a growth in vehicles produced for both the local and export markets. With the strong government support they receive, the large motor manufacturers are a natural place to start if youre researching a career in the motoring industry. Many of the major international brands have production plants in South Africa representing billions of rands of investment into the local economy. Between them, they offer hundreds of opportunities each year for graduates across a wide range of job roles and disciplines. Some have bursary programmes and internships, in addition to seeking to recruit new graduates to join their businesses.
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motoring

Lead the Way with Us

Graduates who join an organisation such as Volkswagen enjoy exposure to the latest global technology and systems, says Afrika. They also have the opportunity to contribute towards the manufacture and sale of some of the worlds leading car brands. There are a wide range of jobs to choose from within the sector, Afrika adds. There is an especially strong focus on engineering, finance, sales and marketing. But there are also mean-

ingful career options in IT, human resources, procurement, logistics, communications, legal, and other departments at Volkswagen South Africa.

The open road

As such, Volkswagen looks for a diverse crop of graduates each year with degrees and diplomas ranging from BScs in chemical engineering and computer science through to commerce degrees and marketing diplomas. The career paths may lead to management and leadership roles or to technical specialisations. The other motor manufacturers have similar requirements. BMW, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, and Toyota all have substantial graduate recruitment programmes and/or internships.

toring industry value chain than the large manufacturers. Major automotive component manufacturers such as Control Instruments, Metair, Shatterprufe, Schaeffler Automotive, Henkel South Africa and Senior Flexonics have established production plants in South Africa and account for a significant chunk of the industry.

Up and down the value chain

There are an estimated 400 component manufacturers in South Africa.

Toyota

A complex ecosystem According to Naamsa, South Africa is home to around: 4 600 garages and fuel stations 1 900 specialist repairers 1 400 new car dealerships 1 400 used vehicle outlets 300 vehicle component manufacturers, together with about 150 others supplying the industry on a non-exclusive basis 1 600 specialist tyre dealers and retreaders 480 engine reconditioners 190 vehicle body builders 2 900 parts dealers 220 farm vehicle and equipment suppliers
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According to the National Association of Automotive Components and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM), its members have a combined turnover of about R57 billion and employ almost 50 000 people.
These companies tend to be smaller in size than the motor manufacturers, but they also need a wide range of business and technical skills. They supply components such as seats, electrical and electronic subsystems, brakes, clutches, and body parts to the export market and to car manufacturers in South Africa. At the other end of the value chain, youll find the companies that sell and service the countrys vehicle parc (vehicles in use). For example, auto-dealerships and service chains such as McCarthy (part of the Bidvest Au-

Are you young, ambitious and passionate

with big ideas and big plans for the future?
Toyotas 2-year Graduate Programme is focused on developing and grooming talented individuals for future Technical and Managerial responsibility. Graduates in the following disciplines who are serious about developing and advancing their careers are invited to apply.
ENGINEERING: Mechatronics, Industrial, Mechanical and Chemical HUMAN RESOURCES HEALTH & SAFETY MARKETING ACCOUNTING SUPPLY CHAIN ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS: National diploma or Bachelors degree in a relevant discipline Excellent Communication, leadership and analytical skills Computer literacy (MS Ofce, Excel and Word).
If you aspire higher go to www.toyotacareers.co.za for more information
Please submit a detailed application and cv including your matric and university academic transcripts by the 31st of August 2013

Engineering degrees are in high demand mechanical, electrical, industrial, chemical andmechatronics.
But production management, procurement management, sales and marketing, human resources, and financial degrees are also highly sought-after. Some manufacturers also offer bursary programmes. Typically, the graduate programmes offer a year or two of extensive training and development, with a good chance of securing a permanent position. Of course, there is far more to the mo-

grad @ work

motoring

Christelle Geel

tomotive division), CMH Carshop and Barloworld need skills in retail, specialised financing, human resources and law. This is a dynamic part of the industry, which is changing at a rapid rate as customers rely more and more on the Internet to research their car purchases. There are big opportunities in sales and professional management in this sector for graduates with petrol in theirveins. Retail suppliers of spare parts and repair shops are other growing parts of the industry, though their main skills requirements tend to be for mechanics and technicians with OEM-specific

training rather than university graduates. Finally, vehicle financing is a critical part of South Africas vehicle industry. Most dealerships offer vehicle financing through partners such as Wesbank and Absa Vehicle and Asset Financing. Some dealerships and motor manufacturers such as BMW have created financing arms of their own. Financial and accounting degrees are in big demand in the vehicle financing sector.

are placed under the guidance of both a coach and a mentor. Fa-eez Karodia, process engineer at Volkswagen South Africa, joined the company after completing a BSc honours in chemical engineering at the University of Cape Town. Karodia is based at Volkswagen Uitenhage, working on projects such as water efficiency in the paint-shop.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

It takes drive to succeed

Afrika says in addition to the right qualifications, Volkswagen South Africa looks for qualities such as passion for the industry, as well as energy, ambition, a willingness to learn and grow, and technical expertise from the graduates it recruits. In exchange, it offers graduates a career path with a comprehensive approach to development and training.

He decided to study chemical engineering because it offered challenging, stimulating work that involves problem solving and creativethinking.
Karodia came into contacted with Volkswagen when he did eight weeks of practical training there, in line with university requirements for third-year engineering students. He was then selected for the 2011 graduate programme a few months after completing his four-year degree. According to Karobia, passion for the brand, a strong work ethic and the ability to solve complex and diverse problems are among the main attributes you need to succeed in the motoring industry. You have to be willing to start at the bottom and be willing to learn, he adds. You have to put in long hours to excel. Be prepared to be challenged, and when the challenge comes, take it with both hands.

Christelle Geel is an ambitious

North West University Potchefstroom graduate who loves nothing more than the challenge of finding a more efficient and effective way of completing a task. She joined Volkswagen South Africa as a costing analyst, after completing her BCom (hons) in business management accounting.

engines, that Volkswagen exports. It is a demanding financial role that includes forecasting, budgeting, andreporting. Every day, she gets to work with people from a range of departments, providing wide exposure to the business and many opportunities to learn. The toughest challenge of the job is working within strict deadlines when the business changes from month to month, says Geel. There are fluctuations in exchange rates and costs, which means Geel needs to keep reviewing how she does things to stay ahead of her deadlines. Her advice to other graduates looking to enter the automotive sector is to familiarise themselves with the industry. They should attend career fairs and on-campus presentations to get to know the main players.

A taxing environment Cars are getting a bad rep for their impact on the environment. Facing tougher regulation as well as the introduction of carbon taxes, motor manufacturers are focusing a great deal of their research and development on building cleaner vehicles. Many international manufacturers are now adding alternatively powered vehicles to their product lineups, such as plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles.
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Visit the different company websites and dont hesitate to contact them, she says. Enquire on whether they offer internships, bursaries or programmes for graduating students. Start early, get your CV ready and start researching the different types of industries. This will help you make informed, educated decisions.

We have a graduate training programme with an annual intake that varies in accordance with companys future needs. Eugene Afrika
After spending two months receiving comprehensive exposure to the company at all levels from the shop floor to the boardroom the graduates move to operational areas where they

I chose this area of study due to the vast number of career growth opportunities it presented. Christelle Geel
Business management accounting qualifications are in high demand across the world and in a wide range of sectors, she adds. Geel was one of 30 students selected to partake in the Graduate Programme in 2011. Her current role is to analyse the costs of components, specifically

COMPANY LISTING
BMW www.bmw.co.za Ford Motor Company corporate.ford.com General Motors www.gmsa.co.za Mercedes Benz www.mercedes-benz.co.za Nissan www.nissan.co.za Toyota www.toyota.co.za Volkswagen South Africa www.vw.co.za

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NGO

Helen Mackenzie from the Topsy Foundation

DOING IT FOR THE LOVE

Samantha Perry

A career in the NGO sector requires a special kind of dedication.

Its a unique working environment, usually free of the typical high-pressure politics of some corporate environments. Working for an NGO gives you a chance to use your skills to improve the quality of life for others. helen mackenzie

If job satisfaction is what youre after, a career in the NGO

sector may be for you. If youre in it for the money stop reading right here, because while graduates in NGOs get to do an amazing number of things, making loads of money isnt one of them. For Helen Mackenzie, communications manager at The Topsy Foundation, working for an NGO offers the chance to be part of something you believe in. Working for an NGO gives you a chance to use your skills to improve the quality of life for others. Its a unique working environment, she says, usually free of the typical high-pressure politics of some corporate environments, and it provides opportunities to visit or work at interesting location and project sites seeing new and important sides of life. The Topsy Foundation provides relief services to South Africas rural communities, including supplying free medical treatment, caring for orphans, providing food, and job cre-

ation. For graduates, Mackenzie says, there are many frontline and back-office roles in an NGO, and what these are and the skills required largely depend on what the NGO does. Teach SA Ongoing Support professional Elby Kabamadondo says his organisation requires graduates with a passion for or desire to uplift communities. Teach SA recruits graduates in maths, science, IT or English, gives them a grounding in education, and sends them to schools in disadvantaged communities for two years. Kabamadondo was a Teach SA ambassador and now mentors and supports future generations of ambassadors (as the teachers are called). He echoes Mackenzies comment about career paths, adding that there is definitely demand for graduates in the sector, for

the same kinds of positions youd find in the corporate sector marketing, sales, business development (although the latter two are geared to fundraising not profit-making), finance, HR, and specialist positions relevant to the NGO concerned.

and water and electricity set up and stable. It sets up sanitation systems and supplies drinking water if need be and that all requires far more expertise than just medical. Community co-ordinator for Children of South Africa (CHOSA) Zukie Mabuya says her organisation recruits a lot of volunteers, and there is huge demand for graduates to come and be role models for the children the organisation works with. Most of the time, kids need role models who can come and share their experience or help steer them in a right direction. For example, children who are in high schools and need to choose which career paths they want to take once they finish grade 12. CHOSA also needs graduates to help
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Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), for example, hires a lot of doctors, as you would imagine. It also hires a lot of engineers electrical and other, says its HR manager, James Kambaki.
MSF is a humanitarian organisation that works in places where there is a medical crisis, usually caused by a natural disaster, or manmade disasters like wars. It needs doctors, but also people who can handle the supply chain of getting food and medicines

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USE YOUR

TO TEACH
with stuff such as bookkeeping, finances, IT or Web design, she says. CHOSA supports community-based organisations that take care of orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa. manitarian rather than profit agenda, doesnt make their skills requirements any less, comments Kabamadondo. We need very competent graduates, he says. The sector also faces the challenge of competing with the private sector for top graduates, and not being able to offer the same remuneration. Says Childrens Haematology Oncology Clinics (CHOC) HR manager Johan van Niekerk: We dont offer benefits pension, medical aid or 13th cheque. Your average graduate is going to think twice before joining an NGO. hospitals and the CHOC houses.

DEGREE

The upside
Working for an NGO gives great job satisfaction, says Kambaki. It feels good to be doing something with your life and skills. Some people sign up with us for a year and end up staying for many years. Im one of those I started for a month and have stayed 14 years so far. Kambaki has travelled all over the world with MSF. Kabamadondo has journeyed all over South Africa with Teach SA. Both say working in an NGO has given them the opportunity to experience things and meet people they would never otherwise havedone. And while working for an NGO doesnt pay much, it does teach you a lot.

The personal touch

Just because NGOs operate with a hu-

Teach SA
The TEACH Ambassador Programme places outstanding graduates in under-resourced schools to improve learner achievement in Maths, Science, English and Technology, for a minimum of two years.

MSF NUMBERS MSF teams are made up of doctors, nurses, surgeons, anaesthetists, epidemiologists, psychiatrists, pharmacists,technicians, logisticians, water and sanitation engineers, administrators and a host of other supportstaff. More than 4.5 million individual private donors aroundthe world provide more than 90% of MSFs funding.

If you dont have a passion for it, rather join a corporate and go make money. Johan van Niekerk
CHOC was established in 1979 by a group of parents who realised how much childhood cancer impacts families. CHOC, among other things, builds and runs houses for children with cancer and their parents to live in while the children undergo treatment. For families not living in major centres for one parent to spend weeks or months (even years) at a time with a child in hospital is a huge burden, and CHOC seeks to alleviate that. Most of its graduate requirements are for social workers, says Van Niekerk, who works with the children and their parents and provides support in the

In 2011, MSF provided humanitarian assistance in 68 countries. Close to 32 000 MSF staff worked in 436 programmes.
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Because of the lack of resources and the nature of the sector, roles are not as rigid as they are in the corporate world, so while your job may be as a project manager, you will often get to do things way outside of that scope, says Kabamadondo.
NGOs are something like startups when they first get going, says Mike Sharman, Put Foot Foundation co-founder. The foundation is a mere

A childs education is priceless

Our requirements are:

A minimum of a Bachelors degree The successful completion of a full year or more of Maths, Science,
English or Technology during the course of your degree

We are accepting non-education majors only. To apply please complete the online application we do not accept CVs FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR TO APPLY FOR THE PROGRAMME, VISIT

WWW.TEACHSOUTHAFRICA.ORG OR CALL 082 383 6687

grad @ work

NG

Dr Liselle Botha

18 months old, and was founded by Sharman, ex-Springbok rugby player Bob Skinstad, Dan Nash and Darryn Hillhouse, who got the Put Foot Rally started when Sharman returned to SA after years in the British Army. The rally covers 8 000km over 18 days through five southern African countries, and provided the inspiration for the creation of the foundation. Says Sharman: We [Sharman and Nash]

did the first Put Foot Rally in 2011, and were exposed to so many experiences and places and people, and we decided afterwards that we wanted to do something to make a difference.

group of cyclists who volunteer every year to raise funds and ride for the charity. In 2011, 300 cows raised R3.6 million. But we always need more, Van Niekerk comments. Mackenzie concurs, saying the major challenge The Topsy Foundation faces is securing funding on a consistent basis. This sentiment is echoed by Mabuya, who says CHOSA has a lot of projects that we would like to fund; right now we are struggling. MSF, says Kambaki, relies on small money from lots of individual donors, which has meant it faces less of a cash flow problem than the NGOs that rely on corporates, which have recently been hit hard by the global economic crisis.

CHOC
The CHOC Cows were formed in 2008 after Jessica Madison Bain, aged 20 months, died of neuroblastoma. Her parents worked closely with CHOC before she died, and after her death, six cyclists (including her parents) decided to ride the 94.7 Challenge, in cow suits, in her memory. And so the CHOC Cows were born. The CHOC Cows raised R230 000, on a target of R60 000, in 2008. In 2011, a herd of 300 CHOC Cows raised R3.6 million.
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The Put Foot Foundation puts shoes on the feet of school children whove never had a pair of brand new shoes. Funds are raised over the course of the rally and used during the following year for shoes. Shoe drops happen often and volunteers are needed to helpout.
So far, the foundation has no full-time staff, but Sharman says theyre looking to hire one or two full-timers. Its like a start-up, he says. You start growing and then you have to scale it. Put Foot has raised R1.5 million in its first 18 months, something of a fast start, Sharman says. Now to maintain that growth. Fundraising is a major challenge for all NGOs, says VanNiekerk.

MORE THAN A DOCTOR

Dr Lissele Botha always wanted to work for Medecins Sans Frontieres, since she was 15 years old.
Now 29, Botha recently returned home from her first assignment as an emergency doctor in Sierra Leones Bo District. Part of the project was to set up the mass casualty plan for the 200bed hospital.

signed up with MSF. You need to be a certain type of person to work in an NGO, she says. Your values need to line up with the NGO you work for, for example. MSF is committed to intervening in humanitarian crises based on neutrality and impartiality in all contexts and following medical ethics. If your politics dont line up with that, for example, you will find things a little difficult. You also need to be adaptable and flexible, says Botha, and willing to learn and teach. I went to Sierra Leone as a doctor and ended up doing so much more. I love hiking, climbing, being outside. I love to travel. This fits into my work at MSF, Botha says. I like to explore. With MSF, you dont get to see the pretty parts of a coun-

try, but you get to see the country and know thepeople.

COMPANY LISTING
Black Sash www.blacksash.org.za CHOC www.choc.org.za Endangered Wildlife Trust www.ewt.org.za Mdecins Sans Frontires (Doctors Without Borders) www.msf.org.za Put Foot Foundation www.putfootfoundation.org Teach South Africa www.teachsouthafrica.org Topsy Foundation www.topsy.org.za UN Information Centre in South Africa pretoria.unic.org UN Office on Drugs & Crime www.unodc.org World Wildlife Fund www.wwf.org.za
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A plethora of NGOs doing similar things is increasing the pressure, as everyone competes for a slice of the same small pie and has resulted in some organisations having to close.
NGOs have to be increasingly creative in their fundraising efforts, because competition is fierce. As Sharman notes, an NGO is a business like any other, and has the same requirements and challenges, including competition. Graduates bringing new ideas and energy to the sector are a big help.

You get corporate sponsors who will stay with you for three years or four years, then they move on and you have to find funds elsewhere. Johan van Niekerk
CHOCs major fundraiser is the 94.7 cycle race. The CHOC Cows are a

You go there thinking youre just going to be a doctor, but you end up being a bit of a manager, a matron, a superintendent. Dr Liselle Botha
Botha studied medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand, and after doing her two-year stint in a state hospital and one-year community service,

PETROLEUM

Tammy Dehn from BP SA

FUELLING THE ENGINES OF PROSPERITY

Carel Alberts
The petroleum industry needs scarce engineering skills to support the local economy. Petroleum is strategic to the South African economy.
The industry supplies 18% of the countrys primary energy needs, adds 2% to GDP, supports employment of 100 000 people, and collects more than R35 billion in fuel taxes. To some degree, the industry is limited to the midstream and downstream portion of the hydrocarbon value chain otherwise known as refining and marketing of petroleumproducts. The country has very limited crude oil reserves, and imports most of its processing requirement. Consequently, the exploration (upstream) portion of the industry value chain is largely undeveloped, consisting mainly of the gas exploration activities of PetroSA and Sasol and soon, fracking by Shell. jor oil brands, which operate storage terminals and distribution facilities and in some cases, refineries and retail service station networks. A number of non-refining wholesalers and manufacturers of fuels further joined their ranks when the Sapia constitution was changed in2012. In the downstream portion of the market, these players move product out of refineries and terminals by pipeline, rail, sea and road, to around 200 depots, 4 600 retail service stations and 100 000 direct commercial customers. Together, they offer extensive direct and networked employment and business opportunities. Refined petroleum products, including petrol, diesel, residual fuel oil, jet fuel, avgas, paraffin, liquid petroleum gas and refinery gas are produced in South Africa by way of crude oil refining, coal-to-liquid refining, and gasto-liquid (GTL) refining. industry is concentrated around the midstream and downstream part of the hydrocarbon value chain. An example of this can be found even in the leading integrated oil majors, which have had to adapt their models for South Africa. As a top global integrated oil company, BPs activities span the entire value chain, from exploration to marketing, but the company has more regional opportunities in downstream and midstream than in upstream, due to the scarcity of crude and other petroleumsources. PetroSA and Sasol are the lone exceptions. PetroSA is a midstream and upstream provider, but in the absence of much refining capacity, its opportunities are on the exploration side, while Sasols opportunities lie in new projects.
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Im obsessed with finding new ways to solve problems, and love diving into the latest technologies and working with bright minds to create great systems.
Palesa Molekwa

There are currently four crude oil refineries in the country, together processing more than 500 000 barrels per day.
PetroSA and Sasol supplement this with another 200 000 barrels per day at their GTL and Synfuels facilitiesrespectively. The main traditional Sapia members have a firm hold on the countrys refineries too, offering extensive employment opportunities in chemical and process engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering.

We know graduates are spoilt for choice, but we believe our graduate development programme is extremely competitive.
Tammy Dehn

Marketing
The South African Petroleum Industry Association (Sapia) is the voice of the local industry. Its main members are the ma-

Graduate opportunities
As outlined above, much of the employment in South Africas oil and gas

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PETROLEUM
Downstream
Tammy Dehn, talent management advisor for BP Southern Africa, says in any given year, BP recruits graduates in engineering (chemical/process, mechanical and electrical engineers); business (finance, HR, sales and marketing, supply chain and logistics); and science (environmental management and chemistry). She describes the demand for quality graduates as a war for talent. Recruitment standards have further been raised of late, intensifying the fight for a shrinking pool of talent. With the exception of PetroSA, BP and several others will only accept honours- and masters-level entrants with a distinguished academic record. We know graduates are spoilt for choice, but we believe our graduate development programme is extremely competitive, says Dehn. Operating in over 80 countries, BP offers its 85 000 employees a rich variety of experiences, determined by the needs of the

business and the graduates developing interests. The BP graduate programme, known as the Downstream Challenge, runs over two years, rotating graduates between departments throughout the programme, with the objective of developing competent professionals.

company is usually on the lookout for geoscientists, including geologists and reservoir engineers, installation engineers on its refinery or exploration platform (mechanical, electrical and process engineers), and of course, process engineers at its small refinery.

Transformation
She says industry transformation also plays a major part in the companys graduate intake. Transformation is one of our strategic drivers, and therefore there is a big push to employ not just black candidates, but specifically women and people with disabilities. Because of the high demand for quality graduates, PetroSA runs an extensive bursary programme, currently 80-strong, thereby growing the talent pipeline and placing graduates within the various divisions of the organisation, to ensure they also acquire the experience needed, not only in our industry, but in the greater South Africa. This year, PetroSA took in 25 graduates on two-year fixed-term contracts, as graduates-in-training.

In addition to coaching, discipline-specific competency training is provided internally. The company also leaves room for graduates who want to register with their professionalbodies.
Dehn says graduates who put up their hand by coming up with new ideas and showing a willingness to learn will succeed at BP. Having come through the graduate programme herself, she recounts being given the opportunity to act as HR manager of Air BP, a BP business unit, towards the end of her programme. On finishing the programme, she then poured herself into finding ways to bring consistency to the graduate programme. BP, recognising her proactive bent, promptly offered her the opportunity to manage the graduate programme. In 2012, BP recruited 15 graduates; this year it was 24. Graduates can apply at www.bp.com/grads/za.

I discovered how much you can learn by conducting an audit

BP
Every three years, we carry out a comprehensive audit of our Operating Management Systems. The OMS is essentially a bible for everyone who works with BP. It sets out how we do what we do, covering absolutely every aspect of our operations including, of course, the steps we take to eliminate environmental risk. Soon after I started, I had the chance to get involved with an OMS audit; to help plan, coordinate and execute the whole thing across Southern Africa. It was a brilliant introduction to the business and the perfect way to start building my own network of contacts.

Sapia members
Main members BP Southern Africa www.bp.com Chevron SA www.caltex.co.za Engen Petroleum www.engen.co.za PetroSA www.petrosa.co.za Sasol www.sasol.com Shell SA www.shell.com/zaf.html Total SA www.total.co.za
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Ngcebo Sikhakhane, Environmental Compliance Graduate, Johannesburg

Its great when your contribution is recognised. The Head Auditor said this years OMS audit was the best-organised ever. He nominated me for a CEO Award, which I then won.

Upstream
Annele van der Walt, PetroSA talent growth and development manager, says the state-owned national oil

During the two years, graduates are placed within divisions relevant to them, assigned to a mentor or project, and trained to boost their professional development. Following this, graduates are generally appointed permanently.
Anele Makangala, a Career Wise bursar for the full term of his graduate and

What will you discover?

At BP, we offer the most exciting and challenging global opportunities for high performing graduates in engineering, science and business.

Applications open on 10 June 2013 and close on 30 August 2013. bp.com/grads/za

Find us on Facebook

PETROLEUM

grad @ work

Palesa Molekwa

honours studies (geology-geophysics stream) at UCT, is in his second year of graduate training at the company. He outlines his experience at PetroSA. The first year was purely classroom mentoring. In the second year, we were placed in various projects, with supervision. After this, I hope to be permanently employed by PetroSA.

skills is integral to Sasols HR strategy. We run one of the largest bursary schemes in South Africa, with a total investment of R40.8 million in 2012. The company recruits science, technology and engineering graduates in this way, with an intake fluctuating between 50 and 120 candidates.

projects; and a R15 billion multi-product pipeline (somewhat delayed) to transport petroleum from Durban to Johannesburg, nearly doubling current pipeline capacity to 8.4 billion litres. Within this overarching context, there is demand for black, female and disabled employees and managers through black economic empowerment imperatives, as well as for engineering, technology, business and science graduates. And the industry is populated by powerful multinationals BP, Total, Caltex (Chevron), Shell and Engen which offer employment beyond our borders. Territorial expansion of domestic giants is augmenting this, for example, Engens* recent acquisition of seven in-country operations from Chevron in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands (counteracted by indigenisation laws akin to BEE). There is also strong regional economic growth in countries such as Mozambique, Ghana, Tanzania and Angola, and the strengthening of strategic supply corridors, such as the one from Mozambique to landlocked countries like Zimbabwe. This is adding further momentum to growth in internationalemployment.
GradX wishes to thank the following entities for their contribution to this article: Sapia, BP, Sasol, PetroSA, GCIS, Financial Mail and Wikipedia * While Engen is majority-owned by Petronas, Malaysias national oil company, it originated in South Africa and operates solely in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.

Growth and innovation

At Sasol, another integrated energy and chemical company, opportunities are the result of a period of growth, explains Ivy Manyelo, learning manager, global learning. We are investing heavily into numerous projects requiring technical expertise, such as the R11.9 billion Fischer-Tropsch wax expansion project, in Sasolburg, and a R14 billion mine replacement programme, she says. Manyelo says developing technical

One student who benefited from the programme is Mxolisi Khutama. Now the MD of Prices Candles a division of Sasol Chemical Industries, Khutama received a bursary in 1994 and studied chemical engineering at UCT.
As a Sasol employee, you are exposed to various industry sectors like petrochemicals, oil and gas, electricity generation and mining, among others. Sasol has grown significantly in recent years and continues to grow, presenting great opportunities, he says.

SELF-TAUGHT TECHIE

Palesa Molekwa is an honours graduate in computer and information sciences.

She works in the Information Technology and Systems (IT&S) division of BP Southern Africa. Since high school, Molekwas fascination with technology has been a driving force. I didnt have the opportunity to study computer sciences in school, so I taught myself, she says. Im glad I did.

Monash University) and work. Im obsessed with finding new ways to solve problems, and love diving into the latest technologies and working with bright minds to create great systems. Molekwa became interested in BP as a leading international oil and gas company that is at the forefront of new technology and pioneering initiatives. I knew that, if successful, Id be working in an innovative environment and given the freedom and opportunity to create new technologies. Molekwa says her flexibility and adaptability, willingness to learn and creativity stood her in good stead. This is a rapidly evolving sector and the onus is on you to stay up to date and show your employer how they can leverage technology. She also recommends the use of social

media and LinkedIn for networking. Fortunate to have had a quality education and good grounding in family values, Molekwa says her parents are her role models. I have watched them overcome great personal challenges. They are people whom I can turn to with utmost trust and still get frank advice and answers.

Mthombo or not Mthombo?

In 2010, PetroSA concluded a feasibility study on a 400 000 barrels-per-day refinery, which will create employment for 27 500 people. The Financial Mail reports that South Africa imports 20% of its finished petroleum product because of a crude processing capacity shortfall of 80 000 barrels per day. New capacity of 400 000 barrels a day would be overkill. But the countrys refineries are getting on in years, and a new refinery can help avoid escalating mishaps such as fires or leaks.
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The employment landscape

With these broad brush strokes in mind, graduates entering the industry currently are doing so in interesting times. Employment and development prospects for the coming years are influenced by a range of factors. The ongoing tight economic conditions have led to scaled back capital investment programmes by incumbent multinationals. This has been counterbalanced by isolated large investments, ie, the Mthombo refinery; potential Karoo fracking; several Sasol

Company listing
AEMCOR www.aemcor.com Bahlaloga Technologys www.bahlaloga.co.za Easigas www.easigas.com KZN Oils www.kznoils.co.za Mabele Fuels www.mabelefuels.com Royale Energy www.royale-energy.co.za
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Technology and science are transforming our world, changing the way we do business, learn, communicate and entertain ourselves. Palesa Molekwa
This same love for computers and new technology was the reason for her decision to focus on IT in her studies (at

R&D

Craig Allenby from the NZG

R&D: THE LIFEBLOOD OF EVOLUTION

David A Steynberg

I am interested in understanding the fundamentals of problems and applying well thought-out knowledge to overcomethem.
Darryl Naidoo

Research and development is what drives us forward as a species. It's exciting, bleeding-edge and brings value to human development and prosperity. Money may make the world go round, but research
makes it spin faster and development ensures it benefits society ingeneral. This sector, sexily rounded off as R&D, literally touches and affects every aspect of our lives. The paper on which you're reading this story, the cellphone in your pocket and your means of travel was all made possible by R&D. It is, simply put, one of the most vital yet underappreciated sectors in the country, accounting for 0.8% of total GDP. Still, despite it being underfunded and with the proposed changes in the Taxation Laws Amendment Bill, which could affect the research and development incentive unless that R&D qualifies as world-beating, the sector has so many doors graduates can open and explore that it's not even funny. Human, medical, natural and socioeconomic sciences,

physics, astrophysics, The list is endless.

geosciences.

And where you can ply your trade is just as diverse: the Human Sciences Research Council, medical laboratories, the National Zoological Gardens, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), as well as a host of multinational organisations, private consortiums, not-for-profits and universities.

before lunch. The zoo fits into the R&D sector as it supports conservation, he says, adding that it was established in 1899 and remains one the world's largest, covering 85ha in the heart of Tshwane.

We have a breeding centre in Mokopane and one of our key challenges is managing the bloodlines of small populations of animals. Craig Allenby
The zoo itself is a lot more than a Sunday picnic destination with the family, though this forms part of its educational mandate. It is in fact uniquely placed within the National Research Foundation due to its contribution not only to animal conservation, but also to its benefits for humans. Its research mandates as a national research facility include: to be a plat-

form for researchers and students, as well as to function as a state-of-the-art facility, says Allenby. We also have an animal hospital, which is a novel centre for conservation medicine, with research into medicines for conservation, pathology and clinical work. The students who walk through the zoo's gates are normally post-graduates in the natural sciences, as well as masters and PhD students who are co-supervised by the zoo's scientists. Research fields differ, but go a long way to understanding the natural environment around us as well as the impact we humans have on it. Research includes determining population diversity, identifying genetic markers, developing reproductive technologies for the conservation of species, as well as nutrition for ani115

Human-nature dynamic
Craig Allenby is a tough guy to get hold of, and an ever tougher bloke to get face-time with. He is the manager for Commercial Services and Business Development at the National Zoological Gardens, based in Pretoria. He speaks to me from his car as he drives from Pretoria to Sandton just

To be successful in R&D, one can never give up, no matter how tough the work gets.
Michaela Ritchie

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mal husbandry, Allenby says. We do regularly make a call for interns and we have 56 students currently, eight of whom are post-doctoral. One of the biggest challenges to the sector, Allenby says, is that South Africa does not have enough people with PhDs. These people drive the economy and the sciences.

and proud history of research and development, and is playing its part to equip South Africa with trained and highly competent PhD graduates. The CSIR recruits graduates through its internship and studentship programmes the latter employs graduates to further their studies and obtain both masters and PhD qualifications. According to Pinda Sifunda, manager at the CSIR Human Capital Development office, the institution currently has 80 interns and 243 employees on the studentship programme. But what do these programmes entail? Sifunda elaborates.

The post-doctorate programme attracts PhD graduates to do their post-doctorates at the CSIR. The retention is very high in this pool.

Your research platform

NZG

Personal strides
The research undertaken at the CSIR is as syllable-rich as it is phenomenal. And its studentship programme really is making a big impact not only on local students' lives, but will certainly benefit society in the years to come.

Science of development
The CSIR is an institution with a long

Free-standing student support at the NRF

NRF free-standing honours scholarships NRF/DST innovation scholarships NRF/DAAD in-country scholarships NRF/DST innovation scholarships SABI/NRF scholarships NRF Prestigious and Equity scholarships NRF Prestigious and Equity scholarships The Cambridge Common- wealth Trust and the NRF joint funding of five South African doctoral scholars
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Michaela Ritchie happened upon an advertisement for bursaries from the CSIR at the end of her first year at varsity. She applied and was accepted.
I was fortunate to be given a bursary from my second year through to the end of my first honours degree. Once I had completed that, I was given a studentship to complete my MSc. For me this involved completing a second honours degree at the University of Pretoria (one year) before continuing onto the true MSc in applied sciences (mechanics). I am currently working on that masters. For her masters, Ritchie is attempting to find an effective sampling method to test for carbon dioxide levels in the Southern Ocean. These sampled values could then be used to attempt to accurately model carbon dioxide values across the entire Southern Ocean to better model both carbon dioxide levels and budgets, and possibly aid

The internship (and in-service training) programme offers students with three-year and honours degrees 12-month employment contracts to provide them with on-the-job training and experience in a research environment. Pinda Sifunda
Because of the low number of graduates that further their studies, and because a research organisation such as the CSIR requires high-end skills (post-graduate level), we developed a programme where honours and masters graduates are employed on a temporary basis to study towards their masters and PhD qualifications respectively. Of course, we absorb some of the candidates on completion of their studies.

www.nzg.ac.za
Telephone: +27 12 328 3265 | Fax: + 27 12 323 4540 | E-mail: info@nzg.ac.za | Physical address 232 Boom Street, Pretoria, Gauteng | Postal address Box 754, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0001 | GPS co-ordinates S2544.349 E02811.329

Supporting students
Supporting you by providing: Experiential learning placements Research infrastructure Student supervision Research platform is ideally suited for students in: Natural Science Veterinary Science Humanities Education Economic Management Science

R&D

grad @ work

Helene Brettschneider

climate change models. And while this is her main project and something that will see her obtain her masters degree, it's the day-to-day experiences that really get her heartpumping. R&D can involve different projects over time, meaning that once one is completed, something completely new could come my way, she says. It is knowing that every day there will be a new challenge, that things

will not always work out perfectly the way I was hoping, and that I have to find new solutions when this happens. R&D is not one simple topic; it is vast and there are many varied applications, even when you are using similar methods. Many methods can be applied to such varied topics that there is always learning to be done. Mathematics can be used across all fields, and as a result, there is always a need to understand a different field a little more to ensure the right method is used.

line; and we compete with the industry for scarce skills, as the CSIR is a state-funded institution and is not able to pay bloated salaries. It is therefore quite obvious that passion plays a role in graduates' desires to pursue a career in R&D. But what does one need to succeed? You need to work hard, be modest and have the will to learn, says Ritchie. To be successful in R&D, one can never give up, no matter how tough the work gets.

A LOVE FOR NATURE AND R&D

Notable SA inventors
The CAT scan was de- veloped by South African physicist Allan Cormack and Godfrey Hounsfield. Dr Chris Barnard per- formed the first heart trans plant on 3 December 1967. The first Kreepy Krauly was born in Ferdinand Chauvier's Springs home in 1974. Krugersdorp engineer George Pratley invented his famous sticky stuff in the 1960s. Dolosse, designed by Eric Merrifield, are large, un- usually shaped concrete blocks that protect harbours.
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There is joy in the challenge and small victories every time one of the snags in the project is overcome. Michaela Ritchie Filling the void
As in any sector, however, challengesexist. At a systemic level, the national education system has not provided for an adequate pool of scientists, engineers and technologists at entry levels for the current and future demands of the organisation, both in terms of actual numbers and profile quality, says Sifunda. Theres a scarcity of adequately qualified science and engineering graduates. We're also competing for the small pool of learners who pursue maths and science at high school level and who form part of the pipe-

A great team, hard work and being smart as you work are some of the keys to success in R&D, according to Darryl Naidoo, a PhD student employed on a studentship at theCSIR.
I took an honours course on quantum optics and was offered a position at the CSIR National Laser Centre to carry out my masters degree in physics (photonics), he says, elaborating on why he chose his specific field of study. I am interested in understanding the fundamentals of problems and applying well thought-out knowledge to overcome them. In a nutshell, that is exactly what R&D strives to achieve: identify a problem, understand it, develop solutions and test them until they succeed. Scientists have been doing this for centuries, and thank goodness for that.

Namibian-born and self-confessed smalltown girl, Dr Helene Brettschneider is one of eight post-doctoral graduates working at the NZG in Pretoria.
With a passion and interest in nature, Dr Brettschneider was destined to study zoology. I applied to study zoology at the University of Pretoria after matric, and it just swallowed me. I have not looked back, she says. The diversity of work I can do with the skills I acquired is almost endless, and it never ceases to interest or amazeme. Dr Brettschneider is based at the genetics research department at the zoo, focusing on molecular diagnostics of veterinary diseases. I use genetic techniques such as

PCR and DNA sequencing to identify pathogens affecting wildlife in South Africa, she says. I can also use this data to look into their origins and relationships with closely related pathogens, their vectors and their hosts. Ultimately, this work adds to the body of knowledge on wildlife diseases, which helps veterinarians and pathologists diagnose and treat animals faster and more effectively, and also assists managers, officials and animal owners to prevent disease spread and diseaseoutbreak. Dr Brettschneider is both passionate about the work she does and the difference she believes she is making, as well as the R&D sector.

tine lab work and data analyses on one of my long-term research projects, or I may walk into the office and find a biopsied tissue sample waiting for me in the freezer, ready to be tested for a potentially zoonotic (can be spread to humans) disease.

COMPANY LISTING
Agricultural Research Counil www.arc.agric.za CSIR www.csir.co.za Denel www.denel.co.za Free Market Foundation www.freemarketfoundation.com HSRC www.hsrc.ac.za NRF www.nrf.ac.za Onderstepoort Biological Products www.obpvaccines.co.za Sasol www.sasol.com
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I never know what will come my way on a particular day. Helene Brettschneider
I might get to the office and do rou-

RETAIL

Leigh Blochlinger from Retail Relate

LOVE SHOPPING?
Donovan Jackson

Consider a career in retail.

There are 67 careers in retail, so there is a lot of choice. Remember that Raymond Ackerman is an icon in South Africa and hes a retailer.
leigh blochlinger

Retail is everywhere, from the malls that dot South African cities, to the owner-managed shops in small towns, and of course on the Internet. While your experience with retail may not extend much further than chatting with the checkout lady, there is (obviously) a lot more to it: it is big very big business. This is reflected in the fact that, according to Statistics South Africa, consumer spending for 2012 totalled R1.3 trillion and is forecast to grow by a little over a billion rand for 2013. Far from just shopkeepers, cashiers and bag-packers, the large retailers employ a range of graduates as they seek to maintain competitiveness, achieve profitability (often with very small margins) and grow their operations across South Africa and beyond. Retail offers the opportunity of a highly rewarding career all the more so because it isnt particularly high up on the desire list of most graduates. This is confirmed by Leigh Blochlinger, a director of Retail Relate, which provides training and coaching solutions for the sector. Retail is not an

obvious career of choice, although you can join retail with a wide range of degrees (BCom, BA, etc). It is seldom a first choice for grads, but is often the ideal entry point for those students who have not got an end goal in mind. Blochlinger adds that those considering retail as a career have the flexibility once on board to specialise in a particular area, such as supply chain or marketing actually, theres an enormous amount of career flexibility. There are 67 careers in retail, so there is a lot of choice. Too often, you think of a career in HR, you think personnel agency; a career in marketing, you think advertising company; finance, a bank. All these careers and many more are aspects of retail. However, for many, retail just isnt seen as sexy

enough. But with a big skills shortage in this industry, its definitely not a bad career move.

Sector under pressure?

Like many sectors of the economy, retail is experiencing challenges.

manager at Massmart, says: As is normal with any business, some areas are growing, while others are static. Recruitment is ongoing in the growingareas. Derek Engelbrecht, a director at Ernst & Young South Africa, points out that demand for consumer goods products may fluctuate but demand will always be there. When it comes to retail, its not just the South African market that must be considered, but African markets too. Thats noteworthy, as it is expected that 10 years from now, the conventional multinational corporation will get 50% of its business from emerging markets. Some may even be headquartered in the emerging markets, and the demographics in emerging markets favour profitable growth strategies.
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These include low consumer confidence (which reflects peoples willingness to buy especially durable goods), rand weakness, the lingering effects of the global financial crisis, and the indebtedness of South African consumers.
Another threat is that of the rise of online stores (see sidebar). However, that doesnt mean the sector isnt hiring. Ronnie Mulaudzi, L&D programme

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RETAIL

RETAIL

Ronnie Mulaudzi from Massmart

a reverse trend is emerging: online stores are opening real-world outlets, Engelbrecht notes. Examples include eBay and a formerly online-only division of Gap. Real-world stores deliver the ability to touch and feel goods, to engage with real live salespeople, discuss needs and perhaps explore ideas one might not have while sitting behind a computer, says Engelbrecht. What about price, a touchy subject in the post-recession world? The received wisdom is that online is always cheaper. Except that isnt how it works. Engelbrecht says that with billions of pages and millions of stores, reaching the target audience and then maintain-

ing its attention is a major challenge. That means investing in marketing and advertising. In addition, people are still required behind the processes: orders dont simply go out the door. There are returns, support issues, lost packages and a host of administrative tasks which are necessary to get a product from its listing online to the doorstep of the customer. There is also the cost of postage and packing that the real world retailer simply doesnt have to concern itself with.

What youll need

Mulaudzi explains what Massmart looks for in graduate placements: The types of qualifications are diverse. They include BCom degrees in: business science, accounting, finance, business administration. In addition to these, there is also a requirement for marketing, retail management, logistics/supply chain, and IT roles. His view is backed by Cindie McIntyre, recruitment manager at Mr Price, who immediately dispels the shoppers perception of retail operations. The Mr Price Group is not only about our stores that you see in the malls! We offer various other careers paths, which depend on a wide cross-section of graduate skills.

The unique value that the socalled bricks and mortar entities add hasnt changed. What has is the level of competition they face. Derek Engelbrecht

Engelbrechts comment is significant because he is confirming the validity of the expansion plans into Africa of many of South Africas leading retailers. Shoprite Checkers, for example, has stores in 17 African countries. Woolworths is operational in several neighbouring nations, and since 2002, has operations in Ghana, as does Mr Price. Pepkor, the company behind Pep Stores, is on a major expansion plan in Nigeria. Encouragingly, from a growth perspective, retailers are fo-

cusing on expansion into new areas; converting informal trade into formal retail; focusing on growth into the rest of Africa; diversifying into new service lines; and boosting operational efficiencies, Engelbrecht adds.

What about online?

Among the potential challenges faced by retailers is the rise of Internet shopping. Think these retailers will put conventional ones out of business? Engelbrecht says thats just not the case. While mega-retailers like Amazon. com put real-world stores under some pressure, plenty of room is left over for good old fashioned retail, he explains. However, the pressure on retailers is intense. They need to understand and enhance where and how they add value to stay in the game. And though the mega-onlines sell just about everything that was once the sole preserve of the conventional store and, with virtual goods, a lot more besides there remain real-world advantages that cyber space cannot match, hesays. Thats made clearer by the fact that

With African consumers increasing in sophistication, with rising disposable incomes, and demand for consumer products ever increasing, he is in effect saying the future remains very bright for retailers.

Retail careers of choice! Massmart HP

The aim of the Massmart Graduate Development Programme is to develop your skills in areas such as: Buying, Planning, Merchandising, Store Operations and Business Analysis. You could launch your career with one of South Africas leading retail companies. All you need is imagination! Areas of study: Retail Management/Entrepreneurship Business Science Economics Marketing Logistics and Supply Chain Finance IT
of consumer goods in Africa, the leading retailer of general merchandise, liquor and home improvement equipment and supplies, and the leading wholesaler of basic foods. The Groups brands consist of: Game, Dion Wired, Makro, Builders Warehouse, Builders Express, Builders Trade Depot, CBW, Jumbo Cash and Carry, Cambridge Food and the Shield buying group. Massmart employs over 30 000 permanent and exi-staff employees. Founded in 1990 and listed on the JSE Limited, Massmart is a South African-based globally competitive regional management group, invested in a portfolio of differentiated, complementary, focused wholesale and retail formats. These are each reliant on high volumes and operational excellence as the foundation of price leadership, in the distribution of mainly branded consumer goods for cash. Massmart is the second-largest distributor
Applications open: 01 April 2013 Applications close: 30 August 2013 Where to apply: http://www.massmart.co.za

Whats that again?

Retail is the sale of goods and services from individuals or businesses to the end-user. Retailers are part of an integrated system called the supply chain. A retailer purchases goods or products in large quantities from manufacturers directly or through a wholesaler, and then sells smaller quantities to the consumer for a profit. (Source: Wikipedia).
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Dedicated for value

RETAIL

More than a qualification, youll also need the right sort of personality and drive to work in the retail environment, continues Mulaudzi. A positive approach is crucial. Also required is an attitude of continuous learning, with a curious, challenging and innovative mindset. Thats because retail truly is a people business. The retail industry requires the ability to network successfully and be diplomatic, to get on well with others and work with them. Mulaudzi says Massmart places a premium on EQ, or emotional intelligence, which he says can be explained as the ability to demonstrate high levels of personal mastery and effectively navigating organisational nuances.

the law of supply and demand means retail offers a pretty attractive career choice. However, anything worth achieving isnt easy and that applies to a career in retail, too. For one thing, Mulaudzi points out, youre not going to automatically start in head office with a massive salary.

likely someone who fits into the Mr Price culture.

But how do you get in the door?

Retail Relates Blochlinger says you should try for an internship. You can always do a learnership programme through an organisation like ours, which provides the in-house experience, she notes. This provides that hands-on experience that Mulaudzi has referenced. It isnt easy: It is a year of struggle, but we find that our graduates tend to be snapped up, shenotes.

& FUN WHILE YOU WORK

in one of South Africas largest and fastest growing retailers!

SUN, SURF

Retail is not like many other industries that business graduates will go into. The best way to succeed is to start at the bottom, working in stores. You must be prepared to do this and get your hands dirty with a very practicalapproach. Ronnie Mulaudzi
He notes that this is very different to, for example, entering an accounting firm. There is no getting away from this part of your career development. Retail happens in-store, not at head office. If you want to get somewhere in this business, you need solid store-level experience, and understand that you will work your way up. This requires dedication. Graduates who arent prepared to get into the trenches and get stuck in are not likely to succeed, says Mulaudzi. McIntyre agrees, saying passion for retail is a good characteristic to bring to the party. If youre a go-getter with a positive attitude, enthusiastic with a zest for life and adaptable to change in our fast-paced environment, youre

Mr Price

Not only does the Mr Price Group Ltd have nearly 1000 stores across Southern Africa, but were operating internationally as well and growing fast! clothing, footwear, accessories, sportswear and homewares, we are constantly striving to enrich the lives of our customers and empower the lives of our associates. Based in Durban, where its pretty much summer all-year round, wouldnt you like an opportunity to work in the ever-expanding, ever-evolving world of fashion, homeware and sports retail? Its where ordinary people are doing extraordinary things Visit www.mrpricegroup.com

Informal
Standardisation in all things is very unlikely in any vertical market. When it comes to recruitment, there are distinct differences in approach.

Getting on board
Smart readers will have gathered that

Consumer confidence
Consumer confidence is a measure of how consumers feel about the economy. Consumer confidence in South Africa is at a nine-year low, prompting FNB to say in a statement: The growth in consumer spending is expected to be subdued and much less supportive of economic growth in2013.
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While Mr Price doesnt have a formal graduate recruitment programme, McIntyre says this particular company has two ways of bringing young talent into its business.
The first is internships. These are offered especially in the Merchandise Buying and Planning areas of the business. Students come into the company for a period of about three weeks. You are given mini projects to complete, while working alongside actual buyers and planners. Its a great opportunity to

GRAD @ WORK

RETAIL

Anita-Joy Mlonyeni

experience what the Mr Price Group is all about and if we could one day be an employer of choice foryou. The other route into Mr Price is through trainee vacancies, which McIntyre says are actual permanent roles in the business, and which are offered to graduates fresh out of varsity. The Mr Price Group philosophy is hire for attitude and train for skill. So basically, we recruit graduates who have a passion for what they have studied, we offer them a permanent role in the business, and they then become a fully-fledged employee.

And formal
By contrast, Massmarts Mulaudzi says the group has a more formal approach: Very much so. We have a very active graduate recruitment programme, giving presentations at over 10 universities. A big part of this is taking stands at general career fairs and at more specific career fairs. We primarily target the business sciences business science, accounting, finance, IT, supply chain/logistics and business admin. In addition, he says, Massmart has a fully fledged in-house corporate university, with the main programmes including leadership and management. Recruits are given various learning and development opportunities over the course of one year. That includes a retail theory course, with leading retail experts doing the lecturing, and various small projects and written assignments. After that, youre deployed into business units for the practical experience and training.

Career paths tend to match these qualifications and streams, Mulaudzi says. There is generally a tight link between the persons course of study and their career path. And while your start in retail may not be glamorous, it most certainly can result in a very glamorous outcome.

RETAIL THERAPY

Retails big boys

Massmart (Wal-Mart subsidiary with brands including Game, Makro, Builders Warehouse and CBW) employs 31 000 people, annual turnover of R61 bn Mr Price Group employs 18 000 people, annual turnover of R11 bn Pick n Pay employs 42 000 people, annual turnover of R55 bn Shoprite Holdings employs 100 000 people, annual turnover of R82 bn Spar Group employs 20 000 people, annual turnover R38.5 bn
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Some of South Africas most respected businesspeople come from the retail environment, including the likes of Shoprite Checkers Whitey Basson and Christo Wiese; Boardmans Tom Boardman; and the man who started Pick n Pay, of course.
Remember that Raymond Ackerman is an icon in South Africa and hes a retailer. There are many, many opportunities for you if you just think outside the box, saysBlochlinger. Talk to the managers, make yourself available to assist. The opportunities are there as long as you are prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up. My advice to graduates is dont wait! The tragedy today is that many of those I have interviewed dither, rather than making it happen. With retail, you cannot wait. More than that, she says, retail is a great place to start and get experience, even if it doesnt end up being a lifelong career. You can use the work experience gained in this environment in many other fields of work.

UJ graduate Anita-Joy Mlonyeni says time in the front lines is exactly what youll experience in the retail environment.
Joining Massmart started with attending a career day on campus during my honours year. I applied for an internship and, after looking at my qualifications, aptitude and personality tests, they pretty much hunted medown. Her BCom accounts degree, and honours in financial management, isnt the end of Mlonyenis studies: she is working towards her CA. Joining Massmart has resulted in things moving quickly. It started with six months of retail training, then six months of work experience. Thats critical, because you get exposed to a lot

of areas in the business and realise the operation is very close-knit. During the training, Mlonyeni says your direction is determined depending on the elements of your personality and abilities that shine through.

My role is national, and while I report to and work with a senior buyer, I make decisions that have an impact. While retail isnt really something many people think about in varsity and it isnt glamorous, its a great choice for me. Already I can see that there are lots of opportunities.

But while Mr Price doesnt have a formal graduate recruitment programme, it most definitely has an in-house training capability.
We have what is known as the Red Cap Academy a team of dedicated learning and development specialists who strive to provide innovative and current training to all Mr Price employees, from store-level to senior-level, says McIntyre.

You might become a buyer or an administrator. In my case, the person I trained with believed I had more of a knack for buyer so thats what I am today, a junior buyer for Makro. Anita-Joy Mlonyeni
In this role, Mlonyeni says she decides what customers want to buy and sources the goods from suppliers. Although she has only been with the company for just over a year and having completed her training just two months ago she says it already feels like she is making a difference.

COMPANY LISTING
Massmart www.massmart.co.za Pick n Pay www.picknpay.co.za Mr Price www.mrpricegroup.com Shoprite Holdings www.shopriteholdings.co.za Spar Group www.spar.co.za Woolworths www.woolworths.co.za Clicks www.clicks.co.za
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TOURISM

Fiso Mbatha from the Gauteng Tourism Authority

CHARTING YOUR COURSE

Sandy Goulding

Its great to be part of a dedicated, supportive team delivering top quality service to customers with asmile. You use your insight and initiative to analysesituations.
Roshanta Singh

A career in tourism is an exciting road to travel. Learn more about yourself as you make the journey. People in the tourism and hospitality industry seem passion-driven. Does this sector have the capacity to absorb further graduates? And importantly, is this area showing growth? The range of jobs available is broad. In 2011, the tourism sector directly employed about 598 432 people. Consider an airport: travel agents, ground staff, airline staff and car hire employees. Hotels and B&Bs have employees. Tourist guides lead site visits. Holiday entertainment might involve natural museums, curio shops, flea markets, game parks, fun fairs and even casinos. Tourist arrivals to South Africa grew by 10.2% in 2012. Business tourism also creates a range of employment opportunities with conferences, events and meetings. This year, the 38 secured association meetings will bring more than 57 000 delegates to South Africa. This will inject R680 million into our economy. Most large corporates host events and need hospitality staff.

Growing tourism
At South African Tourisms premier trade show, Indaba (in May), tourism minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk announced plans to expand Indaba into a pan-African event. He highlighted two key aims of the National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS): to increase domestic tourisms contribution to GDP, and promote a culture of tourism among all South Africans. In 2011, domestic tourism contributed R101 billion to the South African economy. The time has come to fully unlock the value of travel for all South Africans, thereby bolstering our contribution to job creation and poverty alleviation, he said. Fiso Mbatha, tourism development manager at the Gauteng Tourism Au-

thority (GTA), noted the visionary yet attainable targets of the NTSS for foreign visitors 15 million arrivals by 2020.

sports Seta) both identify a skills gap, graduates not always being workplace ready, and a lack of people skills as the current HR challenges. Stats are not readily available indicating how many graduates this sector absorbs each year. Its difficult to track fluctuations in numbers. What is the response of industry players to trainingneeds? SAAs Geraldine Welby-Cooke, manager HR/Talent, and Barry Parsons, from the office of the CEO, gave feedback on the aviation sector. Parsons indicated that most global airlines employ from the management, finance and engineering disciplines. Welby-Cooke added that in SAA there is a need for commercial specialists who focus on revenue being optimal.
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If this target is achieved, the tourism industry would create an additional 225 000 direct and 400 000 indirect jobs.
We need to celebrate how positively the destination South Africa has been received worldwide. The performance of the tourism industry in this country has been healthy during the economic recession and post the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup, he said.

Industry comment
Industry bodies ASATA (Association of SA Travel Agents) and Cathsseta (culture, arts, tourism, hospitality and

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TOURISM

ysaa.com

There is also a high demand for technical specialists. The SAA Graduate Programme is a strategic initiative aimed at creating a talent pipeline for critical areas within our business and the broader aviation sector, she said. The 18-month programme helps give selected graduates significant exposure (to build a career) and experience (to build a legacy). Graduates experience real, handson opportunities to make an impact. There are two focus areas: Specialist programme Provides graduates with specialised skills (IT, finan-

cial management) for 17 months. They then rotate to Airport Operations for one month. Generalist programme Graduates gain an overview of the airline group by rotating across the business for six months. Over a period of 12 months, they need to develop the skills required for their graduatearea. Emotional intelligence is key, noted Welby-Cooke when questioned about the requirement for soft skills. Also intrinsic to the industry is the need for self-awareness, listening skills, empathy and decisiveness. The ability to adapt to change is a business norm.

Generation Next Study, SAA won the Coolest Domestic Airline category.

Many other companies in the sector are also investing in graduate programmes. In this way they are able to equip graduates with both the skills and expertise to add much needed value on the business front.
Many graduates emerge from their degree courses steeped in theoretical knowledge. What they need is practical, on-the-job experience.

Career paths
Aside from graduate programmes, there are also different routes for moving through your studies and entering the workforce. Thandi Malapi is a third-year Damelin Travel and Tourism student. This is her final year. Malapi needed to complete her experiential training, and joined Lloyds Sure Travel to put in her hours there. Once shed completed her required time, she stayed on to work part-time in theagency. What were her challenges when she first started working? Balancing work and school is a real challenge, said Malapi. Its hard to keep it all up to date when you have responsibilities on both sides. She said she sees herself as a good fit for the industry. I enjoy the customer contact and like to

SAA FOREVER YOUNG

did you know?

You didnt study tourism but youd like to work in the sector? Not everyone in the tourism and hospitality industry has a formal qualification. Graduates also entered tourism in 2013 from a variety of backgrounds. Most people will find a fit somewhere in this multifaceted sector needing a range of talents, including: Communications Economics Engineering Finance Human resources. IT Law Marketing
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Graduates should bring life experiences, including volunteer work, work/study abroad andtravel. Barry Parsons
Recruiting and retaining key people to drive the business imperative are HR challenges. This sector needs aviation generalists. Research has shown the sector is a growth area globally, and aviation growth is a key driver. In Africa alone, aviation supports 6.7 million jobs $678 billion in GDP across the continent. If aviation was a country, it would rank 19th in size by GDP. Demand for air travel is high, and growing. Parsons noted the economic crunch hit almost all sectors of the industry, and recovery has been patchy, but is continuing. Finally, in the Sunday Times

THE YOUTH HAS SPOKEN

At South African Airways,
weve always been young at heart we are a modern, forward-thinking airline that moves with the times. No matter how far we go, we never forget where we come from. Thats probably why weve once again been voted the COOLEST AIRLINE in The Sunday Times Generation Next Awards - an annual youth brand preference and consumer behaviour survey. Thank you South Africa! Its an honour to be so close to your hearts and we will continue to make you proud.

SAA. BRINGING THE WORLD TO AFRICA, TAKING AFRICA TO THE WORLD.

TOURISM

grad @ work

Roshanta Singh

learn new things. She said she finds the industry interesting, theres variety, and shes never bored. What does she most enjoy about working in the tourism industry? Learning about all the different places in the world you can travel to. Being able to help people go to these amazing destinations is a great feeling! It makes me want to travel the world and see it all through my own eyes. Sure Travels agencies are franchised. There is no company-wide graduate programme, as this is left to the discretion of the individual owners.

Malapi clearly will have an advantage over fellow students who leave at the end of their three years and look for employment. She is involved in the day-to-day running of the travel agency and is learning its systems. This means that whether she stays on permanently after she graduates, or leaves and looks for another job, she takes both theoretical knowledge and practical skills with her. This should give her an edge. Kelly Lawrence studied in the hospitality industry. She now works at the St Andrews Hotel.

cause she is currently employed by him as an executive sous chef. Lawrence discussed some of the things she found challenging when she first started her job.

To be honest, I found everything a challenge and sometimes still do. I have studied this area and am extremely confident in my abilities. It is the first time I have to prove that I can do it and will do it and it shall be a success. Kelly Lawrence
Lawrences positive attitude is evident in the advice she gives to those wanting to get into the tourism and hospitality sector: Dont look at this industry as long hours and hard work. Look at it as a rollercoaster ride through a jungle its so much more fun thatway.

FLYING HIGH

Exploring wild caves

Are you tough? Does adventure cave exploring sound like the hobby for you? Or maybe even a career choice? You may feel experienced, but you cant control nature. Dont ever go alone. Disaster can always strike. If youve never gone cave exploring before, book a tour led by a qualified guide. For premier wild cave exploration in the Gauteng area, contact Wild Cave Adventures: www.wildcaves.co.za.
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Professional cookery and kitchen management was her field of expertise at the International Hotel School, in Johannesburg. This diploma gives you a qualification as a chef or kitchen manager, depending on the type of business.
While studying, she applied her cooking, management and interpersonal skills daily. The International Hotel School also enabled her to work at functions such as the World Chefs Tour Against Hunger. They held a cook-off to see which of us would take part. I was chosen! I had the privilege of meeting Chef Philippe Frydman. She clearly made a good impression with her work ethic and attitude, be-

Roshanta Singh completed a three-year BCom risk management degree through Unisa.
You use your insight and initiative to analyse situations, she says. Honours in business management followed. Before graduating, she researched various industries, wanting to join a company with a graduate programme so that shed be trained.

2013. The programme runs for 18 months and shes now in the rotation phase. We spend time in each of the business units. This gives graduates a holistic view of the company, shesays. When I joined, I feared what would be expected of me. However, staff members were open and supportive. Singh believes key factors to her success are her maturity, empathy and attitude. Customers and other staff members need to see you as approachable. Role models for Singh include her current line manager, Suretha Cruse. She has taught me so much and is endlessly patient. From her mother, she has learnt the value of perseverance. Her short-term career goal is to perform well during her time on the programme. Her advice to students

wanting to get into the tourism and hospitality sector: Take a bold, innovative approach in your search. Be approachable, cultivate a sense of humour and take pride in your work.

COMPANY LISTING
Budget Car Hire www.budget.com City Lodge www.citylodge.co.za Comair www.comair.co.za Gauteng Tourism Authority www.gauteng.net Global Airlines www.globalgsagroup.com SAA www.flysaa.com SA National Parks www.sanparks.org Seekers www.seekers.co.za Thompsons Travel www.thompsonstravel.co.za Tsogosun www.tsogosun.com
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Way forward
Entering this sector is as much about being resourceful and doing the necessary research as it is about being in the right place at the right time. The industry is versatile, with broad horizons. Then its down to attitude. We need to embrace the confidence that the world bestows on us by ensuring that all our visitors experience real McCoy African hospitality, said GTAs Mbatha.

When youve finished studying, you have a wealth of theoretical knowledge; you need to learn the practical aspects of the working world. Roshanta Singh
She approached SAA online and two weeks later was interviewed. Singh was selected for a position on its graduate programme, starting in January

FURTHER STUDIES

Jennifer Cosslett

BACK TO THE BOOKS

Marc Pienaar

Studying opens up a whole world beyond your day-to-day work and stimulates your thinking in so many additional ways. Dont be under any illusions: you have to take it seriously.
Jennifer Cosslett

Youll need to put in a lot of effort to study further but the rewards will be manifold. Youve probably asked yourself whether or not you should study further at some point. For most people, this only becomes financially possible after a few years spent establishing a career. Its never a bad thing to keep learning and adding to your formal qualifications, but the mere thought of intense study while working full-time can be daunting.
It will take dedication, hard work and certain sacrifices; however, as you will discover further down the line, it will be a worthwhile experience in more ways than one. It will help you tremendously in developing your knowledge and increasing your value in the career market. And youll gain new opportunities for personal growth. Of course, there are many avenues to look at.You could do a full post-graduate degree or an additional diploma. Its also often very useful to do a few shorter courses aimed at expanding specific workplace skills, particularly the ones youll require as you move your way up the ladder into management.

So, heres some first-hand advice from those who have done it: how much time its likely to take and the impact it will have on your life. Expert views from post-graduate specialists at some of the leading universities will give you an idea of how to approach it, how much it will cost, and how you could go about financing it. And youll get some tips on how to succeed.

management, having spent the last 27 years as a full-time teacher.

course deeply and bring your insights to the material. Cosslett points out that most people dont realise, in addition to the study workload, they have to learn to work more efficiently in their jobs to make sure they have all the study time they need. You have to do all you can to prevent your job from encroaching on your after-hours study time, she advises. Is it worth it? Totally, says Cosslett. It opens up a whole world beyond your day-to-day work and stimulates your thinking in so many additional ways. I find I now approach my work in a far more enriched way. Nobantu Mkhwane is a more recent graduate, who has just started her further studies. She earned a National Diploma in Accounting in 2008 and is now studying for a Bachelor of Ac135

Youll need to maintain a strict routine, remembering that its more difficult to work in fits and starts than to steadily chip away at your coursework every day. Jennifer Cosslett
Cosslett estimates she has often spent 30 hours a week on her studies, as well as working through all of her holidays. She admits to being very ambitious, aiming for a distinction in each subject. Laura Arnold, academic facilitator at UJs Postgraduate Centre, says parttime students should work at least 1216 hours per week. The most important thing is working consistently, so that you have time to think about the

Whats it going to take?

The people I spoke to were unanimous in stressing that you cannot underestimate the amount of effort it will take to study while working full-time especially if you want to do well. Dont be under any illusions: you have to take it seriously, says Jennifer Cosslett. She is currently studying for an honours degree in educational

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FURTHER STUDIES

counting Sciences at Unisa. She is quick to relate that she has virtually no free time at the moment, studying every day and on weekends. Being so young and studying as well as working, Ive had to very quickly become more mature and responsible about my life, she explains. I have to put first things first, especially when I feel that Im being pulled in many different directions. I have family commitments, a relationship, and of course, friends wanting to socialise on top of the demands of my job. There is just so much more time pressure, so I have to make sure I deal with it as effectively as possible. You

have to be really disciplined. But these are good skills Im learning.

family, she explains. Despite all of this, Lever describes the experience as one of the most self-affirming things she has ever done. I realised just what I was capable of if I set my mind to it, and that I really was cut out for my new career.

Different ballgame
This is clearly very different from being a full-time student, where you are able to dedicate most of your time to your studies. At this point, you may be feeling a bit intimidated. But before you stop reading and resolve that youll never put yourself through this, and that your one degree will see you out just fine, thanks, consider what Sue Lever has to say about her experience. Realising that a formal teaching qualification would benefit her new career, she embarked on a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education), all while going through a divorce, raising three children and nursing her terminally ill mother.

I learned invaluable lessons on how to manage a huge workload which has really shifted me up a good few performance levels in my job. Sue Lever Why should I study further?
All the interviewees agreed that career advancement was the main reason for wanting to study further. Zaki Mtshali, brand manager at Wits University, concurs: The single biggest reason why you should do it is that it gives you an advantage in the workplace, she points out. You are more upskilled than someone who only has an undergraduate degree. And it also helps you to stay relevant and to progress along with the job market while youre looking for employment. Perhaps as a reflection of the effect of adverse economic conditions, Mtshali notes that more people are choosing degrees that have an entrepreneurial element, rather than those that initially tailor them for employment. Arnold points out that because a

UJ

Further study benefits Better career advancement prospects Deeper knowledge of your field More self-confidence in your job A more well-rounded skill set Mental stimulation beyond the day-to-day work environment Increased sense of self- worth, achievement and affirmation
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You could probably not choose a more challenging time to study. Lever decided to spread the course out over two years this is usually an option with part-time study.
She estimates she spent between 10 and 20 hours per week studying, developing a strategy of prioritising specific subjects and modules where she could get the highest marks, and putting most effort into those. I also had to ruthlessly set boundaries with the people around me, other than my

FURTHER STUDIES

post-graduate course is more specialised and self-directed, it can have a more direct impact on your career, especially when combined with work experience. By choosing a post-graduate topic that you are interested in, you can direct where you want your career to go because you will already have some experience in the field in which you want to specialise, she explains. There seems to be a clear advantage to bringing work experience to bear on further studies. Ilze Crous, communication and marketing specialist in the College of Economic and Management Sciences at Unisa, says someone who is already working brings experience in the field, might know better what the issues are in practice, and can introduce new topics for research from their experiences. The two biggest factors in deciding

what to study are previous qualifications and current career.

While degrees and diplomas are obviously more heavyweight qualifications, dont disregard shorter courses these can often provide vital skills supplementation in your career.
For example, Wits Business School has a Management Advancement Programme, a part-time course aimed at broadening the perspective of people who have previously specialised in a particular area in their careers. Of course, there are numerous shorter courses in various disciplines.

at IMM Graduate School of Marketing costs around R21 000, including assessment fees, enrolment fee and administrative support fee. The most common way of financing further studies while working full-time is for your company to pay for or partly subsidise them. In return, you will have to agree to work the amount back at the company. Typically, companies require one or two years of work service for each year of study, depending on how much they have funded.

E+I 1288

GIVE YOUR FUTURE THE EDGE WITH A POSTGRADUATE DEGREE FROM WITS
BREAK OUT FROM THE CROWD! FAST TRACK YOUR CAREER WITH A POSTGRADUATE QUALIFICATION FROM WITS.

What will it cost?

There are so many options that its obviously impossible to give exhaustive information, but here are a few examples of what sort of expenses toexpect: Mkhwanes Bachelor of Accounting Sciences degree through Unisa cost her roughly R20 000 over two years, including textbooks. Levers PGCE, also through Unisa, cost her roughly R6 000, with textbooks coming in at a further R2 000. The Management Advancement Programme at Wits costs just under R48 000, but that includes tuition, course material, exams, lunches and refreshments, and textbooks. A postgraduate diploma in marketing

Bursaries and scholarships are also available from the academic institutions, and you can apply for financial aid from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme of South Africa.
This is effectively a loan that can become a bursary if your academic performance standard is high enough.

Should I do it?
Theres no doubt that studying further will really challenge you once youre working full-time. At the same time, everyone interviewed feels its absolutely worth it. By the time you finish your first degree, you may just want to get out into the workplace. Or you may prefer to continue studying, but cant afford it. One things for sure, though: if you really want to study further later on, its your own motivation that will see youthere.

Quick costs
A masters degree through Unisa costs between R8 500 and R11 000 per year, plus a research module of R3 000. A BA honours degree at Wits University will cost R20 970- R28 580. A Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing at IMM Graduate School of Marketing costs around R21 000.
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WHY POSTGRADUATE STUDY? In our ever-changing world, it is harder to stand out from the crowd with a bachelors degree alone. To remain competitive in an increasingly competitive job market, a postgraduate degree is fast becoming the goal of todays go-getter. Needless to say, specialising at postgraduate level makes you a stronger job applicant. Postgraduate courses are more specialised and focused than general rst degree courses and further equip graduates for the workplace. Get your postgraduate degree from Wits University. Embedded internationally as an institution of sound academic and research standing and is committed to fostering intellectual communities and to strengthening strategic partnerships at home, on the continent and beyond.

WHY WITS? The home of talented students and distinguished academics, Wits University has a reputation built on research and academic excellence. The University is only one of two universities in Africa ranked as a leading institution in the world. We are an undisputed leader in knowledge generation on the continent, with over 40 signicant development oriented training and research projects underway across Africa. Take charge of your future - apply today! www.wits.ac.za/postgraduate For more information contact The Student Enrolment Centre (011) 717 1030 or email Admission.Senc@wits.ac.za

www.wits.ac.za

GAP YEAR

Renee Zaayman from Au Pair in America

MIND THE GAP

Samantha McGregor

Taking a gap year to figure out your future? It is time well spent.

These jobs often help finance your travel adventure. The second option is to intern or volunteer sending you to places that require your skills, as well as learning skills on the move. For the sporting type, opportunities exist as sports coaches, as well as contributing and gaining knowledge within the sporting fraternity. Exchange programmes organised by your school or university are also a popular choice. This route allows you to gain valuable experience endorsed by your institution. Studying abroad affords you the opportunity to experience a highlight of worldly adventure and understanding, while still gaining qualifications. No experience is a bad experience; even in the most difficult situations, you will walk away having learnt

Travelling, living and working in a different country teaches one numerous lessons and responsibility. Life skills such as decision-making, cultural awareness, tolerance, budgeting, independence and adaptability are byproducts of a successful gap year.
Jodie Kilian
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You have come to the end of the line. After years of studying, the final exam has been written and now you are faced with some serious life decisions. Some people know what career path they want to follow right away; for others it takes a bit more research. A gap year has benefits for either scenario. Whether it is life experience you wish to gain or specific skills through an internship taking a year to decide where you want to be is a responsible choice. Essentially, a gap year is a period of time you allow yourself in order to test the water, be it travelling, volunteering or an unpaid internship. This time is individual-specific and the adventure varies from person to person. A good way to start is to think about what you would like to achieve during your gap year. There are various types of gap year options. The first option is to work and travel this entails working part- or full-time at various jobs (career-related or not) before or during your trip.

something. No specific destination provides a better gap year experience than another each continent has its own charm.

sist students in this area. Jodie Kilian, business development manager for STA Travel, explains the importance of a gap year. Travelling, living and working in a different country teaches one numerous lessons and responsibility; it increases ones maturity in all aspects of life not only in a professional capacity. The professional gain from taking a gap year not only provides international career exposure through internships and teaching programmes, but also offers a university of life experience. Most gap year options combine personal travel time after the programme allowing travellers to explore the world a little further. Companies such as STA Travel assist students with the organisation of a gap year. So you can
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In order to get the most out of your time, you need to research what will suit you and your demands.
Each country has its own specifications and requirements, so do your homework from visas to medical clearances you never want to be caught unprepared with regards to these details.

Getting started
Now that you have decided which option suits you best, how do you go about organising this adventure? There are many different companies that as-

GAP YEAR

GAP YEAR

Erin Humphries

importantly, helped my family and I overcome the fear of going on such a trip. Humphries agency, Au Pair in America, also assists with support, security and further education once she is overseas. This process has been a lot less complicated and scary than it would have been had I done it alone. Symmone Wilson, from Au Pair in America, agrees that a gap year is an enriching experience. Programmes such as Au Pair in America afford women, between the ages of 18 and 27, the opportunity to spend time with a family overseas, caring for their children as well as studying.

challenge and completing it. Skills such as operating under pressure, risk management, and most importantly, teamwork, are pros when looking for employment. Taking the time to research and understand which career path you would like to follow on your gap year enables you to make responsible decisions. Kilian emphasises the skills acquired during a gap year are both personally and professionally beneficial, irrespective of whether you find a job in your intended career or not. Life skills such as decision-making, cultural awareness, tolerance, budgeting, independence and adaptability are by-products of a successful gap year. Many people have taken the gap and have never looked back. Leila Saffarian, food editor for Food and Home magazine, decided to take her gap year after a few years in the manic media industry. She ventured to Cyprus and London for a change of scenery. The best part was the freedom to see things from a different perspective you really do view the world differently when its in your own time andschedule. Becoming more aware of how to interact with people from different walks of life was one of the most important lessons Saffarian learnt. Not everybody talks, walks or acts like you do. This experience made the interviewing process much easier for her, communication with people even

a prospective employer was far less frightening. Taking this time really cemented the professional direction Saffarian wanted to follow. Having a keen interest in travel and experiencing food from different parts of the world was a positive factor in securing her current job. It showed her interests were of both a local and international calibre. The personal and professional growth during a gap year is undeniable. No matter what route you choose, be sure to make the most of it and have fun. You will never forget this exciting adventure.

rest assured you are in good hands. Kilian explains that once you have decided on which programme suits you best, you simply complete an enquiry form and one of the experts specialising in your chosen programme will contact you to begin the application process. The requirements and programme will then be discussed in greater detail. We also assist with your travel arrangements ensuring

you get the best fares available. Erin Humphries, a recent Pretoria Girls High School graduate (2012), is getting ready to start her next life chapter.

After finishing school, unsure of what career path to pursue, she found an au pair programme through Au Pair in America, which she couldnt resist.

This particular programme runs for 13 months, with a months travel on completion, as well as two weeks paid holiday during the contract. There is so much that I am looking forward to. I am most excited about the independence and challenge of being in a new country, as well as being part of a new family and community. Like any normal student, taking the leap into the unknown can be daunting. Humphries worries about the usual responsibilities of taking care of herself and others in a foreign environment, far from the familiarity of home. With anything new, it just takes a few brave steps, and once you are there, things fall into place. Going through an agency has helped me find the necessary resources and contacts. They have given me advice, provided useful workshops, and most

Its a great way to finance travels, as the host family covers your living expenses. Its as easy as registering online or contacting a local representative, eliminating the hassle and ensuring a smooth process.
If a student is looking for a fun way to live, work and travel in the USA then Au Pair in America provides all of this and more, encourages Wilson.

Resources
Au Pair in America www.aupairinamerica.co.za First Step www.firststep.co.za Gap Work www.gapwork.co.za CCUSA www.ccusa.co.za City Year South Africa www.cityyear.org.za African Gap Year www.africangapyear.co.za Flight Centre www.flightcentre.co.za YDP Work and Travel www.ydp.co.za South African Student & Travel Services www.sastsinbound.rezgo.com Gap Year www.gapyear.com
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Most popular gap year jobs

Corporate uses skills to assist in financing your trip Hospitality a hotel, bar, restaurant (this option has the added bonus of tips) Au pairing households, mainly childcare, and other domestic duties Summer camps working on a holiday camp, your living expenses are generally covered Teaching many eastern countries pay well for English teachers Cruise liners working as anything from a deckhand to a photographer
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Gap gains
Working in another country with another culture provides many desirable attributes within a professional capacity. Such skills are highly attractive to prospective employers. One of the most beneficial aspects is the confidence one gains from embarking on a

WARDROBE

WARDROBE

STEALING THE SPOTLIGHT

Wardrobe

ELOISE WEARS:
Bow earrings R80 (Tweet) Heart necklaces R95 each (A Public Display of Affection) Black Jacket R299 (Cotton On) White Peplum top R199 (Cotton On) Black lace bustier R199 (Cotton On) Indian Harem pants R199 (Cotton On) Studded ankle booties R399 (Cotton On) Grey Pointelle socks R39 (Cotton On)
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Whether your role in your company means youre on centre stage or working behind the scenes, theres no reason not to steal the spotlight with your workingwardrobe. From glam and glitz for a corporate evening function, to relaxed chic at the office and formal wear for the occasional business presentation, as a new graduate you have every right to command attention through your individual sense of style. Use it to reflect your personality, your passion for what you do and your determination to get to the top. Pick a foundation piece, accessorise it appropriately, add a great pair of shoes, and finish off your look by making sure youre always well-groomed.
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WARDROBE

WARDROBE

Wardrobe

IMAN WEARS:
Black jacket R399 (Cotton On) Peach groove top R99 (Cotton On) Annie floral skirt R179 (Cotton On) Silver necklace R175 (A Public Display of Affection) Earrings R150 (A Public Display of Affection) Black tights (model's own) Maroon bow shoes R499 (Call it Spring)
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DIRK WEARS:
Grey shirt R350 (Designer Warehouse) Red jersey R185 (Designer Warehouse) Asus Jeans R950 (Designer Warehouse) Shoes R700 (Urge)
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WARDROBE

WARDROBE

Check jersey R250 (JonathonD)

Orange shirt R280 (Rozanne and Pushkin) Black skirt R900 (Show Room)

Patched blazer R1 650 (Designer Warehouse)

Blue cardigan R250 (JonathonD)

MIX & MATCH

Switch it up by mixing and matching different shoes, bags,
jewelry and other items to build different outfits with the same foundation piece. Find the Stockists list for all these on page 170.
Cropped bright orange jersey R999 (Show Room) Accessories from A Public Display of Affection (L to R) Wing pendant R50 Peace sign pendant R50 Bronze heart with green inlay R125 Silver mesh heart R55

Mint handbag R480 (Show Room)

Coral sling bag R299 (Call It Spring)

DIRK WEARS: ELOISE WEARS:

Black lace dress R500 (Show Room) Necklace R150 (Tweet) Bracelet R100 (Tweet)
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Navy suit R2 650 (Designer Warehouse) Pink shirt R395 (Designer Warehouse) Brown belt R110 (Designer Warehouse) Brown smart shoes R1 100 (Urge)
Black high heels R499 (Call it Spring) Peach pumps R299 (Call it Spring) Black smart shoes R1 100 (Urge)

High ankle studded takkies R599 (Call it Spring) Slippers R450 (Urge)

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ENTREPRENEURS

Lyndon Miller from Verb

UNLOCK YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

Clayton Swanepoel

It was a combination of bravery, passion and healthy naivety that got us going we wanted to pioneer something. Generally, the people or organisations with the funding are looking to back the entrepreneur before the idea.
Luke Jedeikin

Entrepreneurship is the opportunity to revolutionise South Africas economy. Entrepreneurs are a vital part of any thriving economy. Not only do they have the potential to alleviate poverty, they also have what it takes to turn a sluggish economy into a powerhouse of productivity. Entrepreneurs can be seen as the superheroes of the global economy. Michael Herrington, director at the University of Cape Towns Graduate School of Businesss Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, says: Entrepreneurship has been identified as being vitally important to the well-being of any economy. Entrepreneurs are vital to South Africa if the country is to create more jobs and new products and enhance productivity. Taking a look at the 2012 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report, South Africa could improve in the area of entrepreneurship. The GEM study found that in 2012, fewer adults were involved in starting up a business than in 2011. The official percentage of South Africas early-stage entrepreneurial ac-

tivity rate fell from 9.1% to 7.3%, seeing South Africa dip even lower than the average efficiency-driven economies, with around 14.3% of adults starting up their own businesses. There are a few reasons South Africas entrepreneurship landscape could be better. Herrington points to education, labour laws, crime and even government corruption as factors impacting our growth as entrepreneurs.

value SMEs (to varying degrees) and have started implementing business solutions that cater to the needs of start-ups in particular. FNB, for example, launched an initiative in May this year that is a worldfirst.

aimed at specifically growing entrepreneurial talent. Whether this growth is financial or simply in terms of support, it is providing invaluable insight for those willing to take it.

Future looks bright

It isnt all bad, however, and people in the right places are looking to improve the entrepreneurial landscape in South Africa. On Youth Day this year, President Jacob Zuma announced that the Small Enterprise Finance Agency would make R1.7 billion available to fund young entrepreneurs over the next five years. The big four banks also

In collaboration with the Companies Intellectual Property Commission, it offers a deal where companies can be registered within one day of opening a bank account.
This one-day period is a massive improvement on the average 19 to 22 working days it was taking companies to do the samething. Banks are great places for start-up businesses to find mentors and guidance. Nedbank, Standard Bank, FNB and Absa all host a number of projects

Choose to be an entrepreneur
A big issue in the entrepreneurship landscape is that of perception. South Africas perceived rate of capability in the entrepreneurship arena lies at a low 40%. This puts South Africa 12% lower than the average for efficiency-driven economies, at 52%. People must choose entrepreneurship, says Ronen Aires, board member of the South African chapter of the Entrepreneurs Organisation. Young people are choosing entrepreneurship as a career of last resort, he continues, and this needs to change.
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ENTREPRENEURS

ENTREPRENEURS

Ronen Aires from Student Village

and social media company. After four months of being unemployed, I realised I needed to get a job. I started working for a below-the-line marketing agency; after a year, I realised that my talents would enable me to start my own business. I went on my own and slowly started doing flashmobs, road shows and event entertainment, and havent looked back.

a few hard and soft knocks along the way. Many young entrepreneurs are flattened at the first hurdle, says Aires. Not everyone realises the amount of perspiration and resilience that goes into being an entrepreneur. Vusi Kunene, self-made entrepreneur and owner of The Blackanese Sushi Bar, in Maboneng, Johannesburg, takes a practical approach to mistakes. I learn from them and move on. I make sure that I dont go through the same thing again.

venture, they were not very encouraging at all, says Machen. I was told that the only small businesses theyd consider funding were franchises. The vast majority of entrepreneurs interviewed for this story have found alternative ways to make sure their businesses stay afloat. I personally received no funding from any sources except from the work done for our clients, says Miller. I had to work on several projects at once to ensure we had some capital in the business account. Guthrie quotes one of his idols, serial entrepreneur Peter Sage, when asked about finding funding: you dont need money, you need a better strategy.

Constant learning
Many people think you need to study entrepreneurship to be an entrepreneur, says Aires, and this couldnt be further from the truth. I would sooner have a great mentor than a solid business plan, Aires says frankly.

Online entrepreneur and owner of online store Mint the Shop, Kirsty Machen, says: I think were still stuck in the mindset that you have to have a formalised career path, which these days is a bit of farce I think it gives people false expectations of what its really like out there, and limits their confidence to go and try somethingnew. Entrepreneurship is more than an ed-

ucation; its a way of life. There is a general restlessness that entrepreneurs share, says Aires.

A general restlessness for the status quo, a constant challenging of the way things are. They are drivers of their own destiny. Ronen Aires
The founders of Citymob.co.za, an online store, have changed the way consumers perceive online shopping.

We were three young friends in the first few years of our professional careers, says Luke Jedeikin, Citymob founding member. While none of us had any previous online experience, we knew it was the place to be. It was a combination of bravery, passion and healthy naivety that got us going we wanted to pioneer something. In order to increase the size of South Africas pool of potential entrepreneurs, says Herrington, it will be important to focus on increasing the levels of perceived opportunities, through market dynamics and research and development, as well as on increasing levels of perceived capabilities, through education. I studied at the Waterfront Theatre School for four years, from the age of 16, says Lyndon Miller, owner of Verb, an entertainment, marketing

Find someone whos in that field and entrepreneurial; learn from someone even if only at the level of general business knowledge, like cash flow and capital. Ronen Aires
Fill your head with books, says Grant Guthrie, owner of a strategic marketing and mobile development agency, Teracore. You cant stick your hand in the honey pot without some of the honey sticking to your hand. When running your own company, study that field as much as you possibly can. The more you listen, the clearer your vision becomes. As an entrepreneur, you can anticipate

I always say a smooth sea never made a skilful sailor. Making mistakes and encountering challenges is what makes you brilliant in theend. Luke Jedeiken
I have to often tell myself, get over it and move on, says Miller. It is sometimes easier said than done; however, you cannot make business personal and you need to learn from your mistakes to survive in the future.

WHAT YOU NEED Franchise agreement (if applicable) Lease agreement (if applicable) CVs of business principals Proforma balance sheet Five-point plan application (a basic motivation and business implementation plan)
153

Get creative with funding

While the prospects for funding are looking better, there are still major challenges entrepreneurs can expect to face. This, however, should not discourage anyone from taking a leap of faith with their business venture. On the one occasion that I did approach the banks about starting a new

WHAT YOU NEED (continued on next page)

When applying for finance, its important to have these support documents: Statement of assets and liabilities for all members/directors Personal bank statements (at least three months) Cash flow projections with assumptions Business plan
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ENTREPRENEURS

BOOKS

Grant Guthrie from Teracore

KEEP READING, KEEP GROWING

CUAN HUMPHrieS
These books will help enrich your workplace experience.
Navigating your career: 5 steps to success in the new world of work Authors: Kerry Dawkins and Graeme Codrington Starting work for the first time can be a difficult transition. Its sometimes tough, as a new employee, to figure out where you fit in. Of considerable help here is Navigating Your Career: 5 Steps to Success in the New World of Work. Co-authored by Kerry Dawkins and Graeme Codrington, this book will help you map out your career path. Dawkins, a specialist in the field of career development, and Codrington, an expert in the new world of work, use their experience to guide you towards your own professional success. It begins with an introduction on how to shift your mindset, and then continues with eight chapters, each including theory and examples, and related exerGang Member to Multimillionaire Entrepreneur. Having had a difficult childhood filled with abuse and drugs, Blair joined a gang as a teenager and spent time in juvenile detention. Yet by the age of 21, he had created his first company, 24/7 Tech, and has since created and sold numerous others. Blair says his book is Williams. In it, he shares stories from his own life and those of others who have influenced him or the world, in the hope that these will enable readers to truly understand the impact of their own influence. The stories in this book are written with corresponding headings, allowing readers to understand the intended message behind the cises that bring the theory and practical together. Each chapter has a summary of the main points, and a section entitled What This Means for You, which allows you to understand how the content is relevant to your own life. This book is a must-have for any young graduate seeking success in the workplace. not a self-help guide to a better life, but rather a roadmap of the challenges he has faced and overcome. With advice on how to start and grow a business, along with lessons learnt from those around him, the book encourages readers to choose their own paths. This book is a brilliant introduction on how to achieve success and self-fulfilment as an entrepreneur. relaying of each specific tale. The end of each chapter also includes a section called Questions for group discussion or individual reflection. These questions sum up the chapters and make it possible for the readers to reflect on some of the key ideas within the book and assess the relevance of the stories within their own lives at any given time.

My advice is to get your financial mindset right first (with books like Rich Dad, Poor Dad), so that if you do take out a loan, you use it wisely and you dont get into trouble, Guthrie says.

they wanted to back.

Know your business inside out

Generally, the people or organisations with the funding are looking to back the entrepreneur, before the idea, says Jedeikin. So while we all need some start-up capital, recognise that you are pitching yourself first. Experienced VCs, angel investors, etc, know and accept that ideas change and evolve; they want to know that you are the one to jockey the journey. In that respect, once we really knew our business and the broader online space, we were able to convince those with funding that we were the guys
154

The location of your business is also a major influencer when it comes to banks granting start-up finance.
Nedbank regional manager Ivone Theron says: Banks are more likely to give funding based on market and industry type. It is important that you have come to grips with who youre selling what to and whether the market is as viable as you may think. Franchises are generally more successful because they already have a name attached, she continues. They are therefore more favourable for approval than starting a brand new concept. This shouldnt discourage new ventures though if you have your ducks in a row, you should go for it.

QUestions to ask
Entrepreneur Mag helps you get to grips with your target market: Who would pay for your product? Who has already given you business? What is your honest reach? How has your network reacted? Should you review your revenue model? What methods will you use to sell your product? What route have your competitors chosen? How will you engage customers? Do you have room for expansion?

Nothing to lose, everything to gain: How I went from gang member to multimillionaire entrepreneur Author: Ryan Blair Many successful entrepreneurs have never had a formal education in business, such as Bill Gates, Richard Branson and Tony Factor. Another example is Ryan Blair, author of Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: How I Went from The difference you make: Changing your world through the impact of your influence Author: Pat Williams Everyone has influence. This is the basis of The Difference You Make: Changing your World through the Impact of Your Influence, a book penned by the co-founder of Orlando Magic, Pat

(All three titles are available at Exclusive Books)

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gadgets

ACCENTURE

GOODIES FOR GO-GETTERS

Melissa Hill

CUAN HUMPHrieS
Give yourself a head start at work with these cool must haves.
BlackBerry Q10
The Q10 stays true to the form that made BlackBerry great, and includes the standard Qwerty keyboard, redesigned with bigger keys for maximum typing efficiency. The Instant Action function allows users to perform numerous tasks directly from the home screen. The screen, with touch capabilities, is also bigger and has an incredible OLED display. The phone is packed with 16GB of internal memory and features an 8MP rear camera. It also has extremely capable connectivity, with the ability to run on 4G. Running at 3G allows for an estimated battery life of 13.5 hours while in use and over two weeks while in standby. Some other interesting features include BlackBerry Balance, the ability to create two separate profiles, (personal and business), and separate your files and information. The BlackBerry Hub allows for seamless interchange between tasks. All in all, BlackBerry has yet again delivered a worthy competitor in todays smartphone market. Price: R8 102. Available at: www.store.orange.com

I am a business analyst within Accenture Management Consulting. I am currently completing my PhD in Chemical Engineering at UCT. I joined Accenture through the Management Consulting Graduate Programme. I want to learn as much as I can about how the business world operates. In terms of growth at Accenture, I aim to become a consultant in the next two to three years. Its exciting to work on a variety of projects and for different clients. I enjoy the continuous learning and growth Accentures training system includes just about any course imaginable! Graduates who want to join Accenture should prepare by familiarising themselves with (and practising) a case study interview. They should search for videos online which can help them understand how to solve business related problems, and visit their career centre on campus for more information.

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. We help clients become more successful in every part of their organisations, from strategic planning to day-to-day operations. With offices and operations spanning 200 cities in 54 countries, Accenture serves clients in more than 120 countries. About 261 000 people work with clients in nearly every major industry, including 89 of the FORTUNE Global 100 and more than three-quarters of the FORTUNE Global 500 companies, and government agencies around the world. Combining cutting-edge technology with advanced business thinking, we operate in the following industries: financial services (capital markets, banking and insurance); resources (such as energy, mining and electricity); communications, media and technology; products (retail, transport, consumer goods and services, and more); and health and public service (integrated justice, treasury and other agencies). While our main goal is to make the worlds biggest organisations fitter, faster and more efficient, we also pride ourselves on being an excellent graduate employer. Our opportunities allow the individual to build on his or her knowledge, skills and interests and launch a rewarding career. We invite applications between May and August each year from students who have a strong academic record and are in their final year of study. We look for people who are able to challenge conventional thought, offer unique perspectives and conceptualise innovative and profitable solutions for our clients. Whether these individuals join our management consulting, technology or outsourcing practice, they should have the potential to develop into business leaders, credible in the boardrooms of some of the worlds largest companies. At Accenture you can sharpen your skills, build an extraordinary career and play a key role in delivering solutions that transform organisations and communities around the world. Our website contains all the information you need about our graduate programmes and career opportunities.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2

Powered by the latest Android OS, 4.0, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 boasts an integrated focus on multimedia, incredible Internet functionality and communication. It has a 7-inch screen and a 1GHz dual-core processor that makes undertaking numerous tasks at one time simple and efficient. The video is HD, both in playback and recording.

When purchasing the Galaxy Tab, you can decide from three different amounts of internal memory 8GB, 16GB or 32GB. There is also space for an external SD memory card, with up to an extra 32GB. The Galaxy Tab has a multitude of hubs, from gaming to the Readers Hub, which allows for fast, easy access to a great variety of downloads. The personalised S Suggest al-

lows for the Galaxy to find apps that are compatible with those you use most often. The Galaxy Tab is budget-friendly and perfect for the recent graduate as a personal or business accessory, making connectivity and access to multimedia simple and rewarding. Price: R1 799 (8GB) Available at: www.froggy.co.za

Must-have apps
Dropbox: Dropbox is an app that incorporates a cloud-based folder for storing any file. It can be accessed at any time from your smartphone or tablet. The files you store are inherently private, but sharing them with other users is a possibility, allowing for seamless interchange of multimedia or documents. With the ability to access Dropbox from anywhere, working from home
156

has never been easier. Pulse News: Pulse News is an easy-touse app that allows you to read news articles on the move. Organised into topics, with corresponding headlines and images, youll never be without your daily dose of whats happening in the world around you at any given time. Share stories with friends via social networks, or e-mail and save interesting articles for viewing at a later time

with Pulse News. ScanBizCards: ScanBizCards gives you the ability to scan the business cards of colleagues or important contacts with the camera on your smartphone or tablet. The app will scan the information from the card and store it automatically in your contacts. When entering the workplace for the first time, who you know is just as important as what youknow!

INDUSTRY SECTOR
Consulting

LOCATION
Johannesburg

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

Diplomas or BTech degrees: IT, Computer Science or technologyrelated subjects considered for technology solutions (will consider mathematics, science and engineering graduates).

Degrees: IT, Computer Science or technology-related subjects considered for technology consulting. Commerce, Science, Engineering, Business Science and Social Sciences considered for management consulting.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
65% academic average

Closing date
31 August 2013

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online at www.accenture.com/ gradSA

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AGSA

BDO

At the Auditor-General of South Africa, we aim to develop everyones skills and talents more effectively and efficiently and give our people every opportunity to grow themselves.

Nonkululeko Tetwayo
I completed my BCompt Honours (CTA) at Unisa and was accepted onto the AGSAs graduate recruitment programme. I am currently a third-year trainee. My next goal is to pass my PPE and qualify as a chartered accountant. My job is also my way of contributing towards strengthening our democracy. I am very proud to be part of the team that ensures that we are all accountable in preserving the gift of freedom. I believe I am at the best place that I can be. I feel proud when the AG stands in front of the public and reports back, and I know he is talking about my work. I work in a fantastic learning environment, filled with loads of opportunities, where I am surrounded by amazing support systems, and other professionals that love their work.

Ashwell Leroy Smouse

I studied at Tuks, where I completed my BCom in Accounting Sciences and attained my CTA. I was part of the Thuthuka Bursary Fund which presented me with the prospect of being part of the BDO family. I am currently a first-year article clerk at BDOs offices in Johannesburg. I plan to complete my articles at BDO over the next three years, pass the second Board Exam next year, and qualify as a Chartered Accountant (South Africa). I love what I do as BDO opens doors to opportunities and provides the perfect platform to network with clients and most importantly, absorb as much knowledge as I can. The company has an amazing culture. The fact that it is a leading medium-sized firm in South Africa means it exposes me to all facets of the CA profession.

BDO South Africa is a member firm of BDO International, a global network of public accounting firms with a presence in over 135 countries Were not like other accounting
organisations. Were different because we have a natural affinity for client rapport and are committed to the growth of our clients businesses. Our commitment to knowledge and best practice sharing means that expertise is easily shared across the network, supported by common methodologies and IT platforms to ensure effective and efficient service delivery. In South Africa, some 70+ partners, directors and consultants and over 750 staff members provide audit, tax and business advisory services to a range of clients, from stock exchange-listed entities to some of the regions most innovative entrepreneurs and high net-worth individuals. ber cruncher, or even as a number for that matter. We truly believe we have something that sets us apart and we are sure youll want to become a part of it. Heres why: Balance Our culture is based on balance. We work hard, but put as much energy into enjoying ourselves because building relationships is about getting to know people both on and off thejob. Mobility In addition to the career opportunities at our four South African offices, after you have qualified as a CA(SA), we offer secondments to one of our 1 118 international offices. Relationships With access to decision-makers and regular meetings with your BDO mentor and partner, youll gain invaluable insights into the business world and hands-on experience. Exposure At BDO you get to work on all aspects of an audit, and because we offer a broad range of services you could choose to change your career path once qualified.

The institution of the Auditor-General is established by chapter 9 of the Constitution as one of the institutions supporting constitutional democracy. The Constitution guarantees our independence and, read with the Public Audit Act, mandates us to audit all government departments, municipalities and municipal entities. We are further authorised by law to audit identified public entities and other organs of state. We hold government accountable and are thus a key driver of success in South Africa.

for further studies, including university fees, accommodation and meals, plus study support service providers fees and living allowances Partnership with the premier choice in qualifying as a CA(SA) or RGA (Registered Government Auditor) The ticket to certification, since the AGSA is one of only a few companies offering articles for CISA qualification The chance to work with the specialist in public sector auditing, including departments, municipalities and public entities The opportunity to undergo in-house training International secondments, with the opportunity to apply your talents globally A friendly, welcoming environment where you will get the chance to make a worthwhile difference.

Our values
We value, respect and recognise our people Our accountability is clear and personal We are performance driven We value and own our reputation We work effectively in teams We are proud to be South African

Going places with BDO

At BDO we dont see you as a num-

What we offer
The AGSAs Trainee Auditor Programme offers you the support you need on your road to CA(SA). Your travel pack of benefits include: Undergraduate bursaries based on academic merit and learning potential, covering university fees, accommodation, res meals and book allowances Merit-based postgraduate bursaries
158

INDUSTRY SECTOR
Auditing

BCom (with auditing, accounting and management accounting asmajors)

INDUSTRY SECTOR
Accounting

applications for 2014/2015 traineeship for 2nd or 3rd years)

number of positions
In excess of 400

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Ideally a CTA or BCom Honours. South African citizenship ismandatory

NUMBER of positions
80

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

LOCATION
Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban

LOCATION
All over the country

Well rounded individual who maintains a high academic average to ensure entrance/selection for Honours/CTA

Closing date

Closing date

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

30 November 2013

B Compt/ BCom Accounts/

HOW TO APPLY

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

29 November 2013

www.agsa.co.za or via Facebook

SAICA accredited accounting degree + Honours CTA (advance

HOW TO APPLY

Online at www.bdo.co.za/careers

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FNB

GRANT THORNTON

Visit www.gtcareers.co.za to nd out more.

www.gt.co.za
FNB believes in the power of ideas. We know that our people are central to our success. We offer you a career, not just a job.
There are no limits as to what you can achieve. We offer a wide range of employment options and business areas to choose from. You are the master of your own destiny.
We share accountability with our employees and provide you with the best possible opportunities to learn and grow. By joining FNB, you will be part of an organisation that is changing the landscape of banking in SouthAfrica. We break new ground with our innovative thinking. We challenge our employees to think differently and develop into the thought leaders of the future. We know that much of our success is founded upon our entrepreneurial culture and the belief that our people are our single most important resource. We look for people that share our values of pride, accountability, innovation, uBuntu and respect. We have one simple goal: to improve the lives of our customers through simple, effective banking solutions that meet their needs. We know that our employees are an integral part of achieving this goal. We want to find people that
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Dirane Mosholi
I completed my LLB at Wits and entered FNBs graduate programme this year. I am currently a legal advisor at FNB Business Banking, Merchant Services. My next step is to explore other areas at FNB to find out which specific needs of the business I can best cater to. I love what I do because it comes with responsibility. While others may feel that means being thrown into the deep end, I see it as an ongoing opportunity to learn and grow. My job entails a new problem to solve every day, so I am never bored. I believe there is really nothing to lose and everything to gain at FNB. Its graduate programme is highly beneficial to young self-starters, as FNB is the most innovative bank in the world. Here everyone is always striving for bigger and better!

2013 Grant Thornton South Africa. All rights reserved. Grant Thornton South Africa is a member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd (Grant Thornton International).

Rufaro Chikuruwo

are just as passionate about delighting customers as weare.

I studied at UWC, and entered Grant Thorntons graduate programme after being referred to the company by its GradAd_SocialNetworker_275X210.indd 1 ambassadors on campus. As an audit trainee accountant, I am very excited about the next three years of articles. With the exposure I am gaining at Grant Thornton I know that by the time I have finished my traineeship I will have decided where I want to continue to develop my career. At the moment I am open to all available opportunities, in audit, tax, advisory and corporate finance. At Grant Thornton I am exposed to a variety of clients in different industries. Each business is different and its exciting to learn and understand how it actually works. As the famous Grant Thornton saying goes, you are not just a trainee working your way through your articles. Here you are part of a network that is invested in your development as a future business leader.

Grant Thornton recruits people with a passion for business, who combine reason and instinct to give advice that makes a real difference to the organisations they work with.
2013/05/15 10:52 AM

Grant Thornton is a global accounting firm which provides a comprehensive range of services covering tax, audit and advisory including corporate finance, business risk, sustainability and strategic solutions among other things to dynamic organisations. With representation in over 100 countries worldwide, 35 000 people and over 750 offices, the firm is perfectly positioned as a truly international network. Grant Thornton runs a comprehensive vacation work and national induction programme to ensure that, as a graduate, you are exceptionally well-prepared for this exciting chapter of your life. The company strives for and maintains a low partner-to -trainee ratio for optimal training op-

portunities, and participates in an active secondment programme. With a Grant Thornton training contract and CA (SA) designation, you will be developed and positioned for a successful progression within the accounting profession, commerce, or the public sector. The training and development provided by Grant Thornton will prepare you to operate within any industry and succeed at the career you wish to pursue. At Grant Thornton South Africa we share a set of values that are reinforced at every level throughout our firm. These values start with our people. Our culture fosters the development of expertise and personal growth through a team environment and open management style, which encourages participation at all levels and supports our people in achieving their goals and aspirations, says Deepak Nagar, national chairman at Grant Thornton, South Africa. Our trainees know that joining Grant Thornton will mean a career that is about much more than just the numbers. It is about enjoying tough challenges, actively seeking out growth and development and adding real value to our clients by unlocking their potential for growth.

Graduate recruitment
FNB employees are united by their passion for the work that they do. Our graduate programme exposes you to the wide variety of career options that FNB offers. We value the diversity of the people that we hire, and look for graduates with a range of degrees and backgrounds. We are committed to your career development, and our graduates are hired as permanent employees. We look for people that are self-starters, with a passion for innovation and who want to belong to an organisation that constantly challenges them.

INDUSTRY SECTOR
Banking

number of positions
125

Computer, IT) Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, IT, Electronic, Computer). This is not a complete list other degrees will be considered according to business requirements

INDUSTRY SECTOR
Auditing and accounting

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
SAICA accredited BCom, BAcc and Business Science CA Stream

NUMBER of positions
150

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

LOCATION
Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town (majority are in Johannesburg)

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
A university degree and strong academic record

Must have completed honours degree, CTA, PGDA in Accounting

LOCATION
We have a national footprint across nine offices including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Port Elizabeth

Closing date

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
Commerce (Accounting, Finance, Economics, Law, Business Management, Information Systems, Marketing, General), Science (Actuarial, Statistics, Mathematics,

Closing date
30 November 2013

Applications are received all year round

HOW TO APPLY
Online at www.fnb.co.za/loi or www. fnb.co.za/graduate-programme

HOW TO APPLY

Online at www.gtcareers.co.za

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RCL group

PKF

Accounting and auditing firm PKFs diverse and dynamic environment is big enough to provide an excellent career foundation but small enough for you to make a difference!

Tshepiso Modipa
I obtained my BCom in Accounting Sciences at Tuks, and did a postgraduate Diploma in Accounting through Unisa. I joined PKFs five-year articles programme and am a senior trainee accountant. I am very interested in investment banking. I love what I do because I get to experience different work environments and I work with a wide variety of people. My job also allows me to obtain sufficient knowledge to make an informed decision with regards to my future beyond articles and will open many doors for me. I would advise graduate students to come and join the company if they are looking for a firm that has an amazing social and professional culture. At PKF you are treated as an individual and equipped with the leadership and professional skills to take you where you want to go.

Stirling Piu
After obtaining my BCom in Informatics I joined the RCL Graduate Recruitment Programme at Rainbow. This is a yearlong programme, which is focused on developing and grooming talented individuals for future technical and managerial responsibilities within the company. I am currently a graduate trainee in the companys information technology department, where I am part of the business intelligence team. My next step would be to enter into a junior business analyst role. I love what I do because it involves interacting with people not just technology from all aspects of the business. I would advise other graduates who would like to join the RCL Graduate Recruitment Programme to do some research on the company. This will make sure you understand enough about Rainbow to match the opportunities there with who you are and what you want.

Rainbow is not just a chicken producer. Its a company that has placed the consumer at the heart of its business, creating over four million memorable meal occasions every week.
Rainbow, South Africas largest processor and marketer of chicken started in Hammarsdale, just outside Durban in 1960. We are passionate about people and believe that people are key to the success of our organisation. Our graduate recruitment programme aims to provide support to the Rainbow Group Talent Pipeline, which develops young talent for future roles within the business. The comprehensive recruitment process includes interviews, psychometric assessment and the presentation of a project to our executive or management team. We believe that our holistic approach allows us to secure highly skilled and well-rounded individuals who demonstrate inspirational leadership the ability to be strong out of the box leaders who can create solutions to the challenges that face the organisation. The RCL Group Recruitment Programme is a year-long event that positions you to be the driver of your career, with your development at the heart of the programme. From the moment you join you will be placed in a real job, one that will provide insight to the business, continue to test and develop your skills and make a genuine contribution to our organisation and environment. Our graduates are not only supported by internal and external training courses, mentors and a structured developmental plan, but also gain practical experience by working on projects that specialists would ordinarily fulfil. Come work with us we will guide you, mould you, teach you and help you realise the dreams and goals you have been working so hard to reach. It will be a life-changing experience you will never forget.

At PKF each and every graduate will gain hands-on, practical experience and knowledge across a wide range of industries and enterprises, and ultimately co-ordinate his or her own team on audits.
As a company we adopt a very hands-on approach and stress the importance of our open door policy, which is something we feel very strongly about. Mentorship and guidance are the keys to professional development at PKF. We acknowledge individual academic achievements and assist our trainee accountants to take charge of their careers. We empower them by offering them opportunities that build practical experience on strong theoretical backgrounds. Our graduates will always have access to the know-how and advice of directors and managers and their efforts and dedication will be recognised through performance-based remuneration, promotion and rewards. Our policy of promotion from within is the final significant approach to our philosophy, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring real job satisfaction across the company.

with seven offices and a national staff of around 800 with 50 directors and consultants. As one of South Africas mid-tier accounting firms, we provide services to individuals, private companies and the high-end corporate market in audit and corporate services, taxation, corporate finance, corporate governance, wealth management, international business, BEE services, financial training and IT consultancy. We are a member firm of PKF International Limited, which is represented in around 125 countries, providing accounting and business advisory services. Graduates who join the company, work hard and take advantage of the many opportunities to develop and grow while doing their articles at PKF, are assured of a successful career-

INDUSTRY SECTOR Auditing and accounting number of positions

Around 45 nationally

LOCATION
Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, George, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, and Welkom

obtained their CTA, BCom Honours in Accounting or equivalent degree. Accredited degrees BCom (Accounting), B Acc, BCompt or BAcc Science are required to do four or five-year training contracts

INDUSTRY SECTOR
FMCG Logistics

Disciplines

and Excel and Word); and excellent communication, leadership and analytical skills. Applications need to include a detailed CV, and matric and university transcripts

Closing date
To be considered for 2014 apply before October 2013

Global expertise, local knowledge

PKF boasts a well-established history of over 90 years in South Africa,
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Engineering, agriculture, finance, supply chain and logistics, marketing, human resources, IT

Closing date
30 August 2013

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
Three-year contracts are entered into with trainees who have

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

HOW TO APPLY
Online at www.pkf.co.za/careers or e-mail gradrecruit@pkf.co.za

Bachelors degree in a relevant discipline or in final year of study; computer literacy (MS Office

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online at http://rainbowfarms.pnet.co.za/

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STANDARD BANK

toyota

Standard Bank is a full-service financial group offering transactional banking, saving, borrowing, lending, investment, insurance, risk management, wealth management and advisory services. Our headquarters are in Johannesburg.

Khanyisile Tshabalala
I hold a BCom in Accounting from UCT, a post-graduate diploma in accounting (PGDA) , and have passed my qualifying examination 1 (QE1). I am currently a trainee accountant at Standard Bank. Here I am rotating through different divisions of the bank for four to six months over a period of three years. Im learning to thrive in several areas of Standard Bank while gaining the required skills/competencies to qualify as a CA (SA). I started work at Standard Bank after applying online through its website when I was a final-year student. I met with the banks graduate recruitment team at their stand at the UCT career fair, went for a few interviews, and then started at the bank the next year. My most awesome part of the day is getting something new right.

Sonwabise Mtwa
One of my life-changing experiences was being part of the graduate programme. Presenting to different managers, in different departments with their different, yet similar expectations was challenging and yet empowering later on. Working as a team member on the shop floor was the most humbling experience ever. Having to put my qualification, pride, and ego aside, and be on that level after so many years of studying taught me humility and the importance of building relationships at all levels in the organisation. I have been for all types of training emotional intelligence, communicating with intent, and Toyota Business Practices (TBP). This has made me feel I can change the world of Toyota. The graduate programme taught me to truly understand and value the values and principles of Toyota.

Since Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) assumed market leadership in 1980, it has remained the national leader in vehicle sales. It has 239 dealerships located across South Africa. Globally Toyota Motor Corporation is the top vehicle manufacturer and distributor. It sells vehicles in over 170 countries and regions in the world, and has 50 manufacturing companies in 26 countries and regions outside of Japan. TSAM produces several vehicles for the South African market and exports close to half of its production to 57 countries across the world, notably to the European and African continents. TSAM is a fully integrated member of the global Toyota Motor Corporation. It offers exposure to every facet of the automotive industry; from production, imports and exports, engineering and testing to sales and marketing. As part of its future plans, TSAM will embrace the new Toyota Global Vision To be rewarded with a smile by exceeding customers expectations. We will meet challenges by engaging peoples talent and passion. The new global vision will influence everything that TSAM does. It includes an exciting new growth phase and the introduction of several new and exciting vehicles in South Africa.

In 2012, the Standard Bank Group celebrated 150 years of providing high quality, innovative banking services to people across Africa.
We are exceptionally proud of our strong African roots, and we are now one of the African continents largest and most successful banking groups. We are moving forward by continuing to pioneer groundbreaking deals, and by launching innovative projects that are helping people, businesses and economies thrive throughoutAfrica. We are headquartered in Johannesburg and have a presence in 18 African countries. Our overall presence encompasses 30 countries around the globe. Our focus is on business opportunities in Africa and emerging markets with links to Africa. It is this focus that helped Standard Bank win the following: Best Project Finance House in Africa Euromoney 2012 Best Trade Finance Bank in Africa Global Finance 2012 We were also rated the number one Bank Brand in Africa by The Banker. As a Standard Bank graduate, you wont just service our business; youll shape it. By identifying and addressing opportunities in key financial markets across Africa, youll help
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drive our whole business even further, even faster. Whichever graduate programme you choose to join at Standard Bank, youll have intensive training, professional development, exposure to live projects and real accountability, helping you harness your potential today so you see real progresstomorrow. Join one of our graduate programmes and we will equip you with the skills, experience and opportunities to make Africas future yours. You will also get the benefit of a structured mentoring programme and will be given access to senior networks in the bank. Please visit our website to learn more about the different programmes offered at www.standardbank.com/ graduates.

Graduate recruitment programme

Toyotas graduate programme focuses on developing talented individuals for positions requiring a high level of technical and managerial responsibility. It comprises six modules, the first of which involves three weeks of initial training and orientation, leadership training and then three months of plant rotation (where applicable). Further classroom and rigorous onthe-job training follows on placement in a specific department, with support from a direct supervisor and mentors. Every year students from various universities are requested to submit applications, via campus career centres. Selected candidates are requested to attend an interview and present their final-year design projects. Although the programme focuses on engineering students, students from other disciplines are also recruited.
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INDUSTRY SECTOR
Banking

number of positions
Over 100 nationally

qualifications required differ from programme to programme. All the information you need can be found at www.standardbank.com/graduates

INDUSTRY SECTOR
Motor manufacturing

Closing date
31 August 2013

NUMBER of positions
46

HOW TO APPLY

Closing date
16 August 2013

Submit a full academic transcript and CV online at www.toyotacareers.co.za

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

LOCATION
Durban and Johannesburg

Standard Bank has several different graduate recruitment programmes, and the

HOW TO APPLY

Online at www.standardbank.com/ graduates

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

BSC, BCom, BTech, National Diploma

LISTINGs

UNILEVER

A job at Unilever is a career Made by You, with development opportunities, benefits and a culture that embraces diversity. We invest in the future leaders of tomorrow. At Unilever we meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. Our more than 400 brands touch the lives of over two billion people in 190 countries everyday. Whether youre a graduate looking for on-the-job training through our Unilever Future Leaders Programme (UFLP), or a student looking for a hands-on internship in a pioneering and fast-moving business, here at Unilever weve got what youre looking for. You can choose to apply to any of our business areas: marketing, supply chain, customer development, research and development, finance and human resources. Were a competitive organisation dedicated to achieving success but not at any cost. In November 2010 we set out the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, committing to a 10-year journey towards sustainable growth. We are also winners of the prestigious 2013 Catalyst Award, which honours exceptional business initiatives for women in the workplace. Achieving significant growth objectives while decoupling growth from
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Veronica MoloI
I am a currently a Finance UFLP. I obtained my honours in Financial Management at Tuks and am now working towards my CIMA certification. I work as a supply chain consolidation accountant, and I am looking forward to my next rotations, as well as an international stint in the Unilever Future Leaders Programme. My proudest Unilever moment was working at a very challenging factory in Boksburg as a new employee, and successfully handing over my position after having met my targets. At Unilever we are innovative, we receive world-class training opportunities, and we are exposed to global challenges. The culture at Unilever is very flexible, which is something I also find very enjoyable. Everyone is aligned to the overall objective, which helps all of us thrive in what is always a dynamic and challenging workplace.

environmental impact and increasing our positive social impact is a bold but challenging vision, says Unilever CEO Paul Polman. Not many companies have yet taken it on. But I believe its the only viable vision. This vision is one that builds on Unilevers long-term heritage and achievement, while supporting a responsible future. If you decide to build your career at Unilever, you will be part of a legacy that will inspire future generations, a legacy where sustainable business practices and the environment co-exist in complete synergy, a brave new world... and its going to be Made byYou!

MORE HELP FOR YOU

Here's some more companies you can take a look at while job-hunting

Landing your first job is part strategy and part attitude. The GradX team looks at all aspects of career development
from highlighting the companies who are looking for graduates, to advising you on how to best present yourself in your dealings with potential employers. The extra listings here include companies not featured elsewhere else in this issue, and online resources that will help you with your personal development. Weve also included some details on relevant professional organisations, which will help you to begin developing your network in your chosen field.

INDUSTRY SECTOR Fast moving consumer goods LOCATION

Head Office in Durban. Factoryrelated roles may be in Durban, Johannesburg or Pietermaritzburg. International stints throughout Africa and the world through the Unilever Future Leaders Programme

degree (required for finance only, not less than 55%)

Closing date
August 2013

HOW TO APPLY
Go to http://www.unilever.co.za/ careers-jobs/graduates/ and follow the instructions to complete the online application form. For help around our process go to http://www. unilever.co.za/careers-jobs/graduates/ application-process/ or find us on Facebook Unilever Careers South Africa

Be proactive in your job search. Never sit around waiting for graduate recruitment and employer exhibitions. Target companies in advance. In essence don't wait for the last minute to apply. Rosheena Jeawon, careers information officer, University of KwaZulu-Natal Construction
Group Five www.groupfive.co.za Murray & Roberts

www.murrob.com WBHO Construction www.wbho.co.za Edwin Construction www.edwin.co.za Trencon Construction www.trencon.co.za

Electronics
LG Electronics www.lg.com/za Philips www.philips.com HP

www.hp.com Siemens www.siemens.com Dell www.dell.com Defy www.defy.co.za Bosch www.bosch.co.za Sony www.sony.co.za

Engineering
Afrox www.afrox.com
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QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
Bachelors degree (60% average during three-year degree), honours

LISTINGs

LISTINGs

Law
Bell Equipment www.bellequipment.com Bateman www.bateman.co.za TWP www.twp.co.za Bowman Gilfillan www.bowman.co.za Webber Wentzel www.webberwentzel.com Werksmans www.werksman.co.za Adams & Adams www.adamsadams.com Eversheds www.eversheds.co.za Norton Rose www.nortonrose.com/za/

Independent Newspapers www.Iol.co.za Naspers www.naspers.com Paarl Media www.paarlmedia.co.za Primedia www.primedia.co.za

Sycom Property Fund www.sycom.co.za SAPOA www.sapoa.org.za

Public service
Many students assume that working for a government department means they will earn less and take longer to get promoted than if they get a job in the private sector. This simply is not true for entry-level employees. In fact, many of the graduate recruitment programmes in the public sector offer more support and pay better than some corporate employers do. Department of Correctional Services www.dcs.gov.za Department of Defence www.dod.mil.za

Network, network, network you have the best social platforms available to you to develop your networking skills. Use social media platforms wisely. Do adequate research before putting yourself out there. Now is the time to consult people who have walked the part and gain their insight before embarking on your career path. Edith Chetty, career centre co-ordinator, Varsity College Sandton
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Medical
Medi-Clinic Corporation www.mediclinic.co.za Dis-Chem www.dischem.co.za Life Healthcare www.lifehealthcare.co.za Netcare www.netcare.co.za ER24 www.er24.co.za

Media and publishing

Times Media Group www.timesmedia.co.za Caxton & CTP www.caxton.co.za Media24 www.media24.com SABC www.sabc.co.za

Department of Basic Education www.education.gov.za Department of Environmental Affairs www.environment.gov.za Department of Health www.doh.gov.za Department of International Relations and Cooperation www.dfa.gov.za Department of Mineral Resources www.dmr.gov.za Department of Communications www.doc.gov.za Department of Labour www.labour.gov.za

www.eskom.co.za Telkom www.telkom.co.za South African Post Office www.sapo.co.za

Transport & logistics

Maersk Line www.maerskline.com Steinhoff International www.steinhoffinternational.com

Remember that most graduates find jobs beyond the on-campus graduate recruitment drives. Cast your net wider than the campus andnetwork. Nazrana Parker, careers services co-ordinator, University of the WesternCape
Professional organisations
Professional organisations bring together people with similar interests and/or qualifications represented in
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Property
Growthpoint Properties www.growthpoint.co.za

Utilities
Eskom

LISTINGs

the field in which they work. Many allow students to join at discounted rates. They are an excellent place to start building your professional networks and you should ideally belong to at least one. Advertising Media Association of South Africa www.amasa.org.za Botanical Society of South Africa www.botanicalsociety. org.za Computer Society of South Africa www.cssa.org.za Engineering Council of South Africa www.ecsa.co.za Geological Society of South Africa www.gssa.org.za National Association of Child Care Workers www.naccw.org.za Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa www.otasa.org.za Psychological Society of South Africa www.psyssa.com Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa www.prisa.co.za South African Association for Food Science and Technology www.saafost.org.za South African Chefs Association www.saca.co.za South African Marketing Research Association www.samra.co.za

Online resources for personal development

Your personal development is something you can take control of today. Everyone, from graduates right through to CEOs, should constantly work on improving their soft skills. This can be as simple as finding a website that inspires and motivates you. Here are some suggestions to get you started. Life Hacker www.lifehacker.com Learning for Life Resource Centre www.holland codes.com Marc and Angel www.marcandangel.com Zen Habits www.zenhabits.net Illuminated Mind www.illuminatedmind.net

Stockists list for the wardrobe section (p144)

A Public Display of Affection Market on Main (Sundays) or by appointment 082 542 0512 / eligarb@gmail.com Urge Dale Stephan Strime Stuttafords, Prime Store, RVCA stores, Dapper Street wear, Lyme dale@finchleyrow.com Rozanne and Pushkin The Zone, Rosebank, and Gateway, Umhlanga info@rozanneandpushkin.com Jonathon D www.jonathand.co.za (011) 608-4721 Designer Warehouse www.thedesignerwarehouse.co.za (011) 024-0992 Cotton On Sandton City, Clearwater Mall, Canal Walk (011) 7840-218 Call It Spring www.callitspring.com/southafrica (011) 784- 1597 Tweet 072 462 5892

BB

Do not become a serial applier. These are people that apply to every single position even if they are not eligible. Rather sit down, research the companies you want to work for and make a list of them when you apply. Katlego Molaudzi, graduate career office manager, University of Pretoria.

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FACEBOOK.COM/CHEK-iCOAST