Schneider Electric recently celebrated South Africa’s Youth Day with several exciting and comprehensive initiatives that have seen the company make a tangible difference to the skills development and growth of the country’s youth. This year’s Youth Day theme, ‘Actively embracing the socioeconomic gains of our democracy’, reinforced Schneider Electric’s philosophy of the 3Es: Education, Experience and Exposure.
“We believe this approach covers all-important developmental elements such as business communication, etiquette, organisational skills, basic project management, and time management. Our youth development initiatives focus on various aspects of early career development,” said Nimmita Maharaj, diversity and transformation director for Anglophone Africa.
Additionally, there is a strong technical focus with product training that includes Schneider Electric’s vendor-neutral EcoStruxure IoT architecture, and also client and customer site visits, and commercial exposure in areas like e-commerce and channel marketing.
Every year, as part of its Bursar Programme, Schneider Electric sponsors between 10 and 20 students across various fields, including engineering, computer science, HR, marketing, and commerce. The programme ensures a sustainable talent pipeline, with recruits drawn from a number of diverse tertiary institutions. Schneider Electric is committed to gender equity, maintaining a male-to-female split of 60/40 in its youth programmes. This focus ensures that young women are equally represented and empowered in the industry, particularly in scarce skills such as STEM.
Schneider Electric’s South African offices have over the past five years absorbed the following youngsters into permanent roles:
• 42 graduates from its graduate programme.
• 15 interns who have transitioned into full-time roles.
• 21 learners from business administration learnerships, with another 16 employed by industry peers.
As testament to Schneider Electric’s dedication to youth empowerment and job creation, the company has, in the last year, been recognised with several prestigious awards:
• Job Creation Award at the Top Empowerment Awards by Topco Media.
• Youth Employment Award in the Champion Employer Category, Gold 2023, from the South African Council of Graduates.
• Schneider Electric’s Best Internship Programme for Middle East and Africa (MEA) for its MEA Grad and Intern programme.
Participants in Schneider Electric’s youth programmes benefit from a structured support system that includes buddies and mentors who provide guidance throughout their journey. This mentorship is crucial for fostering personal and professional growth.
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