Bank Gaborone recently announced the induction of seven graduates under its Graduate Trainee Programme, which will run for a period of 18 months. The programme was initially launched in 2019 and has absorbed eight graduates into the Bank’s structure.
Unemployment continues to be a swelling problem in Botswana, especially for the youth. The Graduate Trainee Programme is part of the Bank’s corporate social responsibility, which is aimed at empowering and equipping the youth of Botswana with quality knowledge and skills. Graduates will have the best possible opportunities to learn and grow and to become part of a developmental pipeline for key roles in business units. “This programme is inspired by our drive to be connectors of positive change, in this instance, it is by proactively addressing the unemployment problem that Botswana is facing. The selected seven graduates will be primed to become productive professionals, who are contributing to the growth of Bank Gaborone and Botswana’s economy,” stated Bank Gaborone Managing Director, Sybrand Coetzee.
The selection criteria of the programme was First and Second Class upper division graduates from any university, a positive attitude, creativity and innovation. The selected trainees have diverse qualifications, in Finance, accounting, Banking and Business Management which has increased the Bank’s diversity profile.
During the programme, the candidates will rotate between departments as part of the programme. Each candidate has been partnered with a seasoned banker, to mentor and guide them throughout the programme. Bank Gaborone, Head of Human Resource, Mrs Bokani Kalake said “One of the Bank’s strategic choices is to prioritise diversity, equity and inclusivity focusing on differently abled people and young talent to represent the demographics in our market, including Future Fit Leadership as a catalyst for growth. Our graduates bring in the diversity on young talent as well as in creative mindset.The ultimate plan is to identify the right fit for the graduates and ensure they have a clear career path within the bank. We want to train them to become the future leaders of the bank.” The 2019 graduates are now employees of the bank, placed in various departments.
“The previous candidates have grown to be valuable members of the team, who are now contributing to building Bank Gaborone,” Kalake added.
Bank Gaborone continues to cement its presence as a Bank of Batswana. The Bank recently announced its partnership with Gaborone United Sporting Club which is also invested in the youth. “I am confident that our selected candidates will grow to become forces in their selected career paths and live out our purpose of being connectors of positive change,” said Kalake.