Berry Astrapak applauds the success of the Graduate Programme

Berry Astrapak saw the first formal Graduate Programme commence in 2019 with us taking on three graduates, from left Sisanda Nxele, Privanya Udayan and Mbali Ndaba.

Berry Astrapak saw the first formal Graduate Programme commence in 2019 with us taking on three graduates. The aim was to expose recent graduates to the real-world working environment, and to empower them with knowledge to tackle them.

Although the programme had initially only received approval for two graduates, the recruitment panel identified three excellent candidates and managed to slot the third into an Internship Programme that was running concurrently. The successful graduates were Sisanda Nxele, Privanya Udayan and Mbali Ndaba (Intern).

Driving the initiative was our Group Operations Executive, Nawaaz Kalick, who appointed mentors to the candidates and personally aligned with the graduates to ensure that they were getting the required level of support and exposure. Sisanda was placed as an understudy to Sharyn Levy, Group Demand Manager at the time. Claire Spring, Group Procurement Manager, mentored Privanya in the procurement department; and Mbali was mentored by Charmaine Chapman, Supply Chain Manager at JJ Precision. “

Our vision was to invest in those who have little or no practical exposure as this had been identified as a gap in the past. Even though there are various growth and development initiatives in place, this was an opportunity to start something outside of the traditional learnerships and apprenticeships.” Nawaaz said.

The Graduate Programme was an outright success as all three graduates were absorbed into permanent positions within 18 months of joining the programme. “When vacancies arose, we felt confident to look to our graduates as they were literally at the front of the queue. Had we not started this initiative, we would’ve had to train up external candidates with limited or no knowledge of our business models.”

What was equally satisfying was that the graduates transitioned seamlessly into their new positions as soon as they were appointed. Sisanda, is currently Group Demand Planner and is a key member of the monthly demand management process. Privanya is now a Procurement Analyst at our Head Office providing statistics that is being used in supplier & customer negotiations and reviews and providing support in key strategic projects. Mbali is excelling at JJ Precision as a Dispatch Clerk and has already been involved across multiple areas within the logistics department.

“The mentoring I received has been truly beneficial for my career as I was pushed to become a better version of myself. Sisanda, Mbali and I will always be grateful for the support, advice and guidance we received throughout the programme and even in our new positions,” Privanya commented.

“The success of this programme lies both in the drive shown by these ladies, and the commitment of the company to guide and nurture them into achieving the goals set,” said Nawaaz. We congratulate these graduates on successfully securing well-deserved positions at Berry Astrapak and look forward to their ongoing growth at Berry Astrapak.