Investing in South Africa's youth
Thomas has always had a deep passion and fascination for technology and its pace of advancement, which prompted him to pursue a BCom Informatics degree in 2004. Despite being a graduate significant employment opportunities did not present themselves immediately and Thomas spent the subsequent years moving from one fixed-term contract to another, with declining hope of job security or financial stability.
Thomas joined Babcock International Group in September 2018 and proceeded to complete two Business Administration learnerships while gaining practical experience as a learner in the company’s IT Department. The uncertainties created by COVID-19 meant that Babcock was only able to offer Thomas a 6-month contract when his second learnership came to an end in 2020. However, his strong work ethic and passion did not go unrecognised for long and in March 2021 he was offered a permanent position as IT Technician, an opportunity he jumped at.
Being somewhat of a perfectionist, Thomas found the greatest challenge during his learnership journey to be the high expectations he placed on himself to do well. These expectations were equally a blessing as they pushed him to excel. His persistence to succeed as well as the unwavering support of his family motivated him to keep going. Thomas affirms, “The biggest lesson I learned during my learnership is that the power lies not in individuals, but in our collective strength as people. Getting help from family, friends and institutions like Progression is not a weakness, but a strength. No man is an island.”
In his current position as IT Technician at Babcock, Thomas performs various helpdesk functions, however the plan is for him to focus on SAP applications as his area of speciality. He has already embarked on a number of SAP overview courses and the goal is to make him part of the Applications Team as an Analyst. After years of hard work and perseverance, Thomas is well and truly on the road to achieving his dreams and his future looks bright.
In 2016, the Babcock Disability Learnership Programme was launched in collaboration with disability specialists, Progression, with the aim of integrating individuals with disabilities into Babcock’s employee pool. The program is designed to provide on-the-job experience and workplace integration within Babcock during the three years of study.