WINDHOEK- A. Shipena Secondary School learners participating in the Junior Achievement (JA) Namibia’s Mini Company Programme at their school were treated to a Job Shadow at Sanlam Namibia Holdings in Windhoek.
The Grades 10 through 12 group of nine learners visited Sanlam Investment Management, Namlife/Sanlam Client Services and lastly the Marketing division. The learners took full advantage of this great opportunity and eagerly picked the brains of Sanlam Namibia Holdings’ highly qualified staff. At the end of the 2-hour Job Shadowing, the universal smiles on the learners’ faces spoke volumes to the hospitality of Sanlam Namibia Holdings’ staff. The learners learnt about insurance in general and got immense insight into how insurance companies operate on the basis of accountability, trustworthiness and commitment to quality service delivery. When they broke up into groups of three to visit the various Sanlam Namibia Holdings’ divisions, they received in-depth exposure to the operations of the respective divisions. At Sanlam Investment Management, the A. Shipena Secondary School learners learnt how investment decisions are made based on thorough quantitative and qualitative analyses of businesses. Such knowledge will be critical in how the learners run their JA Mini Company at their school. From the Marketing division, the learners learnt about the details of running impactful marketing campaigns and the importance of building a brand that speaks for itself by consistently delivering quality services and products. At the Client Services division, values such as patience, understanding, flexibility and kindness were exalted as critical to effectively deal with a highly diverse customer base.
Besides the details of making a premier insurance company work, the learners walked away with invaluable advice on making career choices. “I learned that sometimes we need to make career changes for our own happiness, and that it is important to work really hard to one day do what we love,” remarks one learner. Getting detailed answers to various career-related questions undoubtedly lifted the learners’ beliefs in their own potential to one day hold reputable positions in esteemed companies like Sanlam Namibia Holdings.
Clearly, the experience of merely interacting and being in the same space as highly qualified and competent professionals exposed the learners to a whole new world and left a great impression on the learners. This is precisely the power of JA Namibia’s Job Shadow: a few hours at a company translate into life-altering experiences for Namibia’s youth. According to JA volunteer Mbumbijazo Katjivena, Sanlam Namibia Holdings definitely gave each student a broader outlook on life and career choices that they’ll soon have to make.