Pupkewitz Motors recently held a celebration in honour of the Group’s young talent and their achievements. The event took place on Tuesday, 03 July at the Safari Hotel and was graced by the Honourable Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi as well as Mr Jerry Beukes, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Namibia Training Authority (NTA).
At the occasion, Mr Schalk Pienaar, the Group Talent Management Executive, in his thought-provoking address spoke about Resource Securities being one of today’s major topics but noted that little is said about the aspect of Human Resource Security.
“We talk about water security and food security and a lot of other securities. However, not about the most important one of them all; Human Resource Security. Talent and the management of talent are about Human Resource Security. Talent is the essential resource that is able to distinguish us in the market. Talent Management is an intrinsic part of the risk culture of the Company. The ability to retain, develop and attract talent, particularly on the leadership level, has become extremely important. Therefore, we collectively have to invest in our people.”
The Honourable Minister used this occasion to reflect on the current skills shortage and unemployment situation in the country. “One of the key challenges that many economies, like ours, are facing is an increase in youth unemployed, in my view largely due to skills shortage. It makes me especially proud that Pupkewitz Motors has a dual education program in place, whereby trainees receive on – the –job training at the various dealerships whilst receiving theoretical knowledge through the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre (WVTC) and Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) respectively.
Pupkewitz Motors, a subsidiary of the Pupkewitz Group, is committed to investing in and developing young talent, being fully cognisant of the fact that any contribution to young talent development is an investment towards a brighter future for our country. In line with the Pupkewitz Group’s number one Unifying
Principle, which is “Commitment to People Development”, Pupkewitz Motors has taken on various training and skills development programmes over the past 3 years. One such flagship program is the Pupkewitz Motors Young Talent Development program.
This program aims at identifying young talent and providing them with the necessary on-the-job training, coupled with a theory to equip the young graduates with the relevant and practical job skills, thereby paving opportunities for growth in their respective careers. To date, the Pupkewitz Motors Young Talent Development program has trained 30 people. Here are some initiatives that are currently in place;
Sales Training: This is a 3-month trainee program where trainees rotate between dealerships on a monthly basis and are given weekly assignments. They are required to attend all the sales meetings, get information on different vehicle derivatives and shadow a sales representative. At the end of this program, job
offers are presented to the sales trainees who have performed well.
Commercial Advancement Training Scheme (CATS) Program: The CATS trainee program has been running, since 2013. There are currently four CATS
students, who are training in various administration and finance positions. To date, seven trainees have completed their training, two of whom have received employment opportunities at reputable companies outside of the group and five are permanently employed at Pupkewitz Motors.
Mechanical Training: Pupkewitz Motors started this program with NTA with the aim of giving trainees the opportunity to shadow some of the best-qualified mechanics in the country. All the Pupkewitz dealership workshops are approved by international standards and thus give the trainees the finest opportunities.
A word from some of our Young Talent – Innossencia Mutumbulwa (CATS Graduate)- HR Assistant at Pupkewitz Motors
I successfully completed my CATS program in 2016. During my 2 years on the program, I had to prioritise my work and due to my commitment, I lost contact with a lot of friends and relatives. I tried to explain my current situation and the opportunity at stake, but not all understood. I had to prioritize my studies, work and budget my allowance. Eventually, it all came down to what was more important to me. Looking back today, I would do it all over again as the sacrifices were all worth it.
I gained exposure to different work ethics and experiences within the departments’ at all respective dealerships. Working with diverse people with different backgrounds and personalities, strengthened my character and learned to accommodate all of them. My eagerness and willingness to learn contributed
immensely to the knowledge and experience I have obtained to date and dealing with customers and colleagues on a daily basis has improved my people’s skills.
The Pupkewitz Traineeship program in partnership with CATS Namibia is the way to go in Namibia. This program is the perfect tool to tackle the high rate of unemployed graduates. In conclusion, I would like to share one of my motivational affirmation: I am stronger because of my hard times, I am wiser because of my mistakes and I am happier because of my sad experiences.
