SANLAM Namibia, once again, demonstrated its commitment towards fostering skills development and capacity building of the future workforce in the interest of the country.
At the handover ceremony, held last week, three UNAM students were awarded bursaries while four students were awarded practical attachment opportunities. Sanlam’s efforts in forging and cementing their relations with tertiary institutions are part of their corporate social responsibility and these efforts are geared towards capacity building, strengthening the human capital in the industry, exposure of students to a real-world of work and development of soft skills that cannot be gained in the classroom.
The challenging situation of today’s economy means that it is no longer enough for new graduates to only have knowledge of an academic subject. Practical attachments in industries, therefore, become relevant. In her keynote address, Hon. Dr Itah Kandjii –Murangi, Minister of Higher Education, commended SANLAM on the great initiative and emphasized that the Government of the Republic of Namibia needs such partners in the areas of human capital development. She urged the students to double their efforts to ensure that they complete their studies and eventually make meaningful contributions within their communities.
SANLAM group CEO, Mr Tertius Stears, stressed that tertiary education is not affordable to many, and reiterated that stakeholders need to come on board in order to supplement government’s efforts. He further said the company’s internship programme offers quality and real work experience. “Student beneficiaries are required to complete a work-integrated learning or experiential learning component as part of their studies,” he said. Stears then assured the students that they will not be “making photocopies, tea and coffee for their bosses,” but that they will be engaged in meaningful tasks that will add value to the work that the company does.
The UNAM beneficiaries are :
Bursaries: Namanda Mbeha (Bachelor of Economics), Magdalena Kashanu (BSc: Computer science), Alexander Ipinge ( Bachelor of Accounting).
Internships: Germany Dunn (Bachelor of Business Administration), Merinah Siboli ( Bachelor of Economics), Liina Angula ( Bsc: Statistics), Cara Allen ( Bachelor of Law).
