At the forefront of skills development

The shortage of technical skills is a huge challenge for business, not only in Africa, but across the world. With its graduate and MBA programmes, Babcock has taken a leading role in developing the skills it needs now and well into the future.

Finding skills the industry needs has become one of the biggest challenges for businesses. Given the dynamics, it is vital for every forward-thinking company to have a system in place to develop the skills it needs, now and into the future. With that in mind, Babcock continues to invest in several skills development initiatives, including the Babcock Graduate Programme and the Babcock Senior Leaders MBA programme.

BABCOCK GRADUATE PROGRAMME

Kathryn Paradisos, talent manager – Africa, explains that the Babcock Graduate Programme was designed to provide new graduates within the company the opportunity to partake in a structured programme that maximises development, integration and adoption of the Babcock system as easily and seamlessly as possible.

“With the assistance of their mentor and selected subject matter experts, the graduates work through key competencies outlined in a logbook. This is a full two-year programme,” explains Paradisos.

Upon completing the programme, finance graduates Tebogo Chabeli and Shonisani Sinyoni provided the following comments:

“The Babcock Graduate Programme provides the youth with opportunities to gain experience and prepares them for the corporate world. It has offered me a good base to become an accountant and find ways to gain knowledge through exposure,” says Shonisani Sinyoni.

Tebogo Chabeli says she is convinced that this is one of the best graduate platforms around. It introduces young vibrant minds to other industries they wouldn’t otherwise have considered.

Four engineering graduates, Cathleen Beukes, Obed Salman, Rylan Naidoo, and Thelma Thangoane, also successfully completed Babcock's Graduate Programme in 2022.

Paradisos explains that Babcock provides innovative engineering solutions and specialised support services for strategic capital assets in the energy sector. As an engineering company, Babcock pushes boundaries to achieve and exceed project and client objectives. To keep this market-leading position, the company trains and develops its engineers in line with the requirements to become a Professional Engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa.

“This programme has given me the opportunity to mature as an industrial engineer. I have gained experience in business analytics and quality assurance, and grown my leadership skills. This bodes well for my future goals at Babcock,” says Thangoane.

Beukes commends Babcock for investing in young engineers today, which she believes is key to helping create and secure the future of South Africa.

“The Babcock Graduate Programme is phenomenal. Not only does it introduce engineers in training to Babcock company procedures and operational systems, but also provides exposure to design, fabrication and construction environments,” says Naidoo.

Salman says this is a well-structured programme, which gives graduates the much-needed exposure to all business units and departments within Babcock.

“Babcock’s graduate programme helps us provide our clients with the best quality service by training and securing the best talent. Ultimately, this will provide South Africa with the most advanced engineering skills it needs to meet its energy needs. It will also help support local development so these skills grow and stay in the country,” says Paradisos.

BABCOCK SENIOR LEADERS MBA PROGRAMME

Process engineering manager Juan Gerber and finance director Abdul Samad Patel have just completed the Babcock Senior Leaders MBA programme, a Babcock International initiative bringing together around 20 senior members of Babcock International's global operations to complete a three-year course exclusively for Babcock employees.

The MBA, which is offered by the University of Strathclyde Glasgow’s Strathclyde Business School in Scotland, entails a broad spectrum of business-related topics and is relevant to any senior manager’s portfolio.

“The MBA qualification allows one to broaden their skillset, enhance leadership capabilities and learn valuable business principles. It certainly does take a lot of time, effort and dedication to complete a course of this magnitude while balancing family and work commitments, but at the end, it feels truly worth the effort,” explains Patel.

“I am honoured to have been selected for this programme and will forever be thankful to Babcock for providing me with this prestigious learning opportunity,” concludes Gerber.