Opportunity magazine is a niche business-to-business publication that explores various investment opportunities within Southern Africa’s economic sectors. The publication is endorsed by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI).
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT When
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT When talent meets opportunity A university degree was no guarantee of a job for a young man from Vosloorus, especially in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Having started on a path to actuarial science, Ntanganedzi Madzivhandila switched majors and graduated from Stellenbosch University with a BCom: Investments Management and Statistics. His path to employment began when his application to join the Youth Employment Service (YES) programme was approved and since then Nedbank, the company that took him in for work experience, has hired and promoted him. Ntanga’s skill set got him placed at Nedbank Wealth, where his ingenuity and expertise were instrumental in restructuring and centralising the people-data function. Ntanga's curiosity saw him explore other possibilities within the bank and he is now a specialist in the HR team, but still working with data. Getting a helping hand was all this curious, hard-working and highly teachable young man needed. Ntanga tells his story. Your first course of study at university was actuarial science. How did you come to think of that as a possible avenue of study? My inspiration to want to study actuarial science was my mentor who was my maths teacher at the time. He was really inspired by my journey because I was a late bloomer in school. Mr Musada thought I should continue testing my boundaries and go for something that will really challenge me. I only bloomed in the last two years at school and then I was not entirely sure where to take my career. The guidance I received was, perhaps you can find some insights in actuarial science and some future there as you have great potential, and so I went for it. Some of the people around me were going for more conventional degrees and courses and I thought that was fine, because it would set me apart from the rest. I felt I needed to be more ambitious and hence I looked into the actuarial science direction and took on the challenge. Had you done well in mathematics at school? From the early stages from primary school to perhaps Grade 10, I was more of an average student, but then in Grade 11 and Grade 12, I was a straight-A student in mathematics. Was this in Vosloorus? I grew up in Vosloorus but I went to high school in Johannesburg, at Dominican Convent School, a fairly small Catholic school. Could you have done with more guidance in terms of choosing a university career? I think at the time, yes. However, I always knew the decision lay with me and because I did not know my potential, it was a lot more difficult for me to know exactly what I wanted to do. The guidance that I received helped launch me in the right direction. When I got to university, I experienced a lot more opportunities and that’s when I was able to decide, this is the future that I want for myself. It sounds as though you needed some time to find your way at university. Yes. Most BCom students were doing exactly the same set of modules in the first year. In the second year it became more streamlined and career focused. It was then that I realised that I actually wanted to focus more on statistics and the investment side. It was more of a self-discovery than anyone nudging me in a specific direction. The more I interacted with people and with the course materials, the more I realised that I was actually where I want to be. Were your parents supportive of your decision to switch to investments and statistics? It was a difficult conversation because they had bought into the idea of actuarial science, but they were supportive. They believed in my capabilities and they trusted the decision that I was making. They also believed that I was giving it my all and it worked out. It was quite a shock to them but in the long run it proved to be a good decision. My mom and dad were the first in their families to go to tertiary institutions, so they saw how academics changed their lives. They had encouraged me to go and further my studies as it would definitely benefit me and it would open more opportunities for me. If I decided to follow other trajectories that did not involve academics I could do so, but at least I should have some academic background. What fields are your parents in? My dad is a chemical engineer and my mom is an artisan. However, they both decided to start their own business and pursue their own goals. 34 | www.opportunityonline.co.za
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT A YES4YOUTH Induction ceremony. Credit: YES4YOUTH When did you first become aware of the YES programme? I had a friend who was in the 2021 YES intake at Nedbank and he told me about the experience. He told me that he was really enjoying his time and learning a lot so I was on the lookout. When the applications came out, I was looking for it on various platforms. I found the link and I applied. So how does it work? Do you immediately start with a salary? While you do get a monthly stipend, the focus is on the work experience that you are going to gather. You first go through training for the various roles that you might play in the programme and after the training you get hands-on experience. So while you will earn an income, the focus is not necessarily about the money but to get you ready for the workplace. But you are paid something? Yes, we received a stipend. How long does that period last? The YES programme is 12-months long. In cases like mine, where they see potential in you and they want to develop you further, you may be offered employment at the end of your 12-month YESwork experience year. So I was drawn into the company before the conclusion of the contract. The initial stage was in November 2022 when I started interacting with people from the group. They saw potential in me and they thought that my expertise could be used on a larger scale. What do you think those qualities are that they saw in you? Curiosity? Hard work? Maths ability? I think it is a bit of everything. The most important qualities would be hardworking, curiosity and having a teachable spirit. By that I mean wanting to go out there and learn more and also interacting with people. Not being afraid to raise your hand and wanting to know more about not just what you do, but what other people do and how can you help the business grow. You need to have an entrepreneurial spirit and I think that’s what they saw in me. What sort of work was allocated to you? My job was pretty clear. I had to assist with the way that reporting was being done, regarding people data and analytics. I had to bring innovation and new insights. I had to bring to Nedbank new ways of reporting through creating dashboards and visualisations for effective reporting using accurate data. I was expected to bring all the data together at a centralised point. www.opportunityonline.co.za | 35
