Empowering people while developing succession

Berry Astrapak invited their new intake of interns to an induction day at Marine Parade Garden Court in Durban.

The South African job market is saturated with people looking for permanent work. Those with credentials behind their name might stand a better chance of being absorbed into companies, but there are also many talented and hard-working individuals without formal training who struggle to find job security.

Berry Astrapak is pro-actively helping to curb unemployment by offering apprenticeship and internship programmes in the hope of kickstarting careers. In using their thriving plastics manufacturing company as a training ground, Berry Astrapak is enabling interns to gain invaluable work experience through skills development.

The company’s internship programme in particular has been up and running since 2019. This year they received more than 20 000 applications for the programme, indicating the real need for job creation in South Africa. Berry Astrapak welcomes new interns annually and trains and mentors them for a period of 12-18 months.

At the start of the new financial year in April 2021, Berry Astrapak took on 34 applicants between the ages of 18 and 35 across their divisions. The current interns are a diverse group with some having diplomas or degrees who require work experience, some having Matric certificates without the means to attend tertiary institutions, and some having disabilities which prevent them from operating machinery but can assist in business administration roles.

The range of disciplines in which the interns qualified are Finance, Business Administration, SHEQ, Human Resources, Electrical, Millwrights and Setters.

Following the acceptance process, Berry Astrapak invited the interns to an induction day at Marine Parade Garden Court in Durban. The interns were acquainted with how the larger Berry Group functions and were familiarised with the relevant policies, procedures and company rules.

Group Operations Executive Nawaaz Kalick addressing the interns and taking them through a brief history of Astrapak’s existence.

The interactive session was informative and aimed to create an inclusive, welcoming space for the new intakes. Nawaaz Kalick, Group Operations Executive, encouraged the group to seize the opportunity with both hands and go the extra mile to show their willingness to learn.

Having also started out at a junior level in the planning department and developing his career over the years, Nawaaz recognises the need for investment of and is passionate about skills development. “We’re creating an effective succession plan for growth and development, and the introduction of additional learners is a perfect way to complement development plans already in place for existing employees. This programme is critical the process of securing, nurturing and retaining new talent is critical to the long-term success of the business.”

Urissa Naidoo, Financial Manager at the Plastop manufacturing plant, has taken a second intern under her wing. Urissa expressed that she enjoys getting involved in the programme every year since it’s exciting to have someone learning under her guidance and mentorship.

“It’s an exceptional programme that Berry Astrapak has put in place. Many people have no work experience, and those of us who were given a chance now get the opportunity to pay it forward. We’re providing people with a foundation and a launchpad for their career,” said Urissa.

Sinenhlanhla Mhlungu engaging with the interns who are studiously taking notes.

Group Training and Development Manager, Sinenhlanhla Mhlungu, said, “We conduct our training needs analysis within the company whereby we ask our managers to share their training needs for the year. We’re now at the stage where the managers are telling us they’re ready for the next intake. We can say that the programme is now in demand, Managers are always looking forward to taking on new trainees.”

Nawaaz added, “Attending the induction has been the highlight of the year. Meeting these enthusiastic youngsters was a truly wonderful experience, and it’s really satisfying to know that I am playing a small part in influencing someone’s future.”

The success in the programme lies with its people and the teams at Berry Astrapak, from administration and finance to the workshop trade, are making a difference in their environment.