Today marks the last day of a week-long Job Shadow initiative for students from six high schools who were hosted by MTN Eswatini. The students have been attached to different departments at MTN are from Etimphisini, Manzini Nazarene, St Theresa, St Marks, Ndzevane and Sifundzani High schools.
The annual Job Shadow initiative hosted in collaboration with Junior Achievement has been running for over five years now. JA is responsible for working with schools to identify students who could participate in this life-changing program.
At MTN, the students are attached in a department of their choice, one which aligns with their career aspirations. The current group of students aspire to train in the following areas: Mechanical Engineering, Accounting, Marketing and Entrepreneurship. They have been duly attached to professionals at MTN who have been trained in these areas.
The Job shadow initiative is actually part of a bigger initiative run by MTN of talent identification and development. Exceptional and hardworking students are identified through the Job Shadow program and followed through to tertiary training.
At tertiary training, they are then afforded another chance for an internship at MTN. Upon graduation, they are additionally given another chance to participate in a Graduate in Training (GIT) program known as Umtsentse. The GIT program which started in January 2016 and MTN invested over E7 million for it to take off.
When student graduate from university, as part of Umtsentse program, they are attached to MTN full time for three years. Upon successful completion of the last leg of the program, most of them are absorbed by MTN. A few opt to join other companies as part of their career progression. Last year, for instance, MTN absorbed 15 graduates who had successfully gone through the GIT program.
The Job Shadow initiative which comes to a close today is the first step of a long term initiative which develops a pipeline of skilled professional who eventually benefit not just MTN but different industries in the country.
