MAKING THE GRADUATE-WORKPLACE CONNECTION
When it comes to increasing the quality of South Africa’s talent pool of young banking and microfinance professionals, we need
a collaboration of all stakeholders and now is the time for us all to make a personal contribution to grooming our next generation,
states Max Makhubalo, Chief Executive Officer at the BANKSETA.
Scarce skills today may be just that, scarce, but if we do not actively make our banking and microfinance institutions training
spaces for young professionals, our future base of specialists could fade into extinction in the medium- to long-term.
Skills are the backbone of any competitive company, industry and nation. In our sector, they are crucial due to ever-changing
technology, rapidly increasing sophistication of customers, growing demand to comply with local and global regulatory
protocols and the imperative to include previously unbanked consumers.
Boosting employability
One of the imperatives of the BANKSETA is to increase banking and microfinance institution access to high quality and relevant
education and training, and skills development opportunities. Importantly, this includes workplace learning and experience,
which must form part of the professional training cycle.
A priority focus for the BANKSETA through which we can enhance the calibre and employability of graduates, is capacitation of
public Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges, Universities and Universities of Technology. In the Free State, for example
we are the lead-SETA in a project to capacitate FET colleges.
Workplace connection
During 2013, the BANKSETA made a high level change to its business architecture. This move has enabled us to be more
efficient in handling projects. It has provided us with the structure through which we can align young professionals with the
growing demand for diversified financial services.
The BANKSETA Learning Programmes Division has become two specialist divisions. One of these is a Workplace
Integrated Learning Division, through which we dedicate time and resources to helping employers bridge
the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical know-how for their graduates.
SETAs need to add value to supply and demand in the talent pipeline. With the DNA of banking and
microfinance being intensively professional and high-tech, our focus is on working with both the
workplace and training space to align candidates with a skills set and timing needs.
If we are to be effective in giving our promising young professionals the tools to succeed,
we must give them a foot in our doors.
The good news is that apart from fostering a culture in which our workplaces are a
training space for graduates, we can all personally play a part by adopting an intern
from a University of Technology, University or public FET college.
I have committed to groom an intern this year.
Will you join me?
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