South Africa

Providing young professionals with the opportunities, experience and support needed to succeed

Marketing leader Wendy Mhlongo. (Photo: Supplied)

18 Sep 2024

The Youth Employment Service is delighted to announce the inaugural YES Top 35 Under 35 Awards, proudly presented by Daily Maverick

Vuyiswa Gaba: Finance professional

Vuyiswa Gaba’s career journey took a transformative turn when she joined YES. She had previously only worked in retail, but was eager to pursue a career aligned with her studies in financial accounting.

She was about to complete her BCom at the University of Cape Town (UCT) when she received a call to join AP Moller Maersk’s YES programme in the finance space.

This opportunity allowed her to demonstrate her capabilities to potential employers.

Read more: Explore the complete “35 Under 35” hub on Daily Maverick

After her graduation from UCT, she was hired by AP Moller Maersk. Starting as an assistant financial analyst, she was kept on after the programme on a fixed-term contract before becoming a permanent employee in August 2022.

Now a finance business partner, Gaba continues to grow and learn. Her journey through different roles has helped her to establish a name for herself as a well-versed professional. She also manages the monthly town hall preparations for the managing director, which is outside her primary finance role.

Gaba has received recognition for her contributions at Maersk. She won a Spot Award, a cash prize for solving problems and helping with forecasting while meeting deadlines. She has also been acknowledged for her participation in the Strategies 4 Success programme, designed for young women in the company seeking growth. Her achievements were highlighted in a Youth Day post on LinkedIn and on the Maersk website.

In her current role, Gaba specialises in analysing reports and data to prepare consolidated information for relevant stakeholders. Through this, she has developed a passion for management accounting. Despite being the youngest in her team and initially feeling intimidated, she overcame these challenges with guidance from her seniors. One senior manager’s advice to embrace failure as part of learning helped her to grow personally and professionally.

The experiences and challenges Gaba faced during her time with YES were instrumental in her development. Her portfolio changed every few months, giving her a comprehensive understanding of finance and the roles of financial analysts.

Through perseverance and support, Gaba has successfully transitioned from retail to a thriving career in finance.

Head of department Tshegofatso Sekwele. (Photo: Supplied)

Tshegofatso Sekwele: Head of department

After graduating, Tshegofatso Sekwele struggled to find employment, and so she turned to YES. This helped her to get her first employment opportunity, which turned out to be a life-changing experience.

As part of Kumba Iron Ore’s YES programme at Sishen Mine, where Sekwele worked, a logbook was created for all the participants. They rotated through different finance disciplines and presented their learnings to the management team. It was this experience that allowed Sekwele to understand the business side of things, improve her presentation skills and enhance her technical skills, all of which prepared her for her future roles.

Thanks to the programme, Sekwele could access the Anglo American graduate programme after her YES year. This opened up numerous opportunities, and she secured a position at Anglo American Platinum.

This was the catalyst that launched her career, she says. In just five years at Anglo American Platinum, she has grown through the ranks from an intern to becoming a department head at the plant in Rustenburg.

In her current role as head of department, Sekwele works with her team to support the preparation of financial forecasts, collaborate with management to identify cost-improvement opportunities and provide training and mentoring to staff.

Read more: Explore the complete “35 Under 35” hub on Daily Maverick

She has two direct reports and faces daily challenges that help her grow both professionally and personally.

Over the years, Sekwele has faced several challenges. These include maintaining a work-life balance, dealing with imposter syndrome, navigating office politics and finding ways to grow professionally.

She has overcome these challenges through mentorship and by building a strong professional network.

Her transition into the corporate world shows the transformative power of the YES programme in action. It is designed to provide young professionals with the opportunities and support needed to succeed.

Business owner Warren Mkhize. (Photo: Supplied)

Warren Mkhize: Business owner

Warren Mkhiz’s journey through the Nedbank YES programme began in his final year of studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2018. The prospect of finding work was daunting. By his own account, YES has had a massive impact on him, both personally and professionally.

Through YES, he developed interpersonal skills, learned to navigate different personalities in the workplace, and improved his teamwork and conflict-resolution abilities.

The confidence gained from YES inspired Mkhize to start his own business, Mycopro, which cultivates, produces and sells oyster mushrooms in 200g punnets.

Mycopro also offers training for those interested in mushroom farming and provides farm extension services to help other mushroom farmers facing challenges.

The entrepreneurial spark ignited by YES led Mkhize to research successful businesses. Discovering that mushroom farming was among the top viable options, he invested R5,800 from his YES salary to start Mycopro, and another R2,000 to buy a second-hand computer for managing his business.

He has supplied oyster mushrooms to commercial businesses and institutions. He has trained teams at the Durban University of Technology Enactus and at the Innobiz Durban University of Technology Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Read more: Explore the complete “35 Under 35” hub on Daily Maverick

His products are sold at Quarry Superspar, Parklane Superspar and Inksi Market Agent. Recently, he started producing his own seed to save costs and improve efficiency.

The most significant challenge Mkhize faced was sustaining his business, particularly as a self-funded entrepreneur who did not qualify for loans because he did not have credit. To overcome this, he learned how and where to sell his products, targeting high-end markets to maximise profit.

He diversified his offerings by selling the materials used to produce mushrooms and even ventured into value-added products such as dried mushrooms for spice, and using offcuts as animal feed.

Mkhize’s journey from student to business owner highlights the transformative power of strategic support and determination.

Marketing leader Wendy Mhlongo. (Photo: Supplied)

Wendy Mhlongo: Marketing leader

Before she joined the YES programme, Wendy Mhlongo worked as a teacher assistant. She was shy and had a lot of self-doubt. In the Nedbank-sponsored YES programme, she transitioned to a marketing intern position at Love Howick, the host for the programme.

Here, she has supported various marketing activities. Thanks to her dedication and personal growth, she was recognised as one of the top three participants who were absorbed by Love Howick after the completion of the programme. She was appointed as an entry-level marketing coordinator.

Read more: Explore the complete “35 Under 35” hub on Daily Maverick

This resulted in her taking on more responsibilities that included managing email campaigns, organising events and assisting with marketing analytics and reporting.

She was promoted to marketing specialist, where she was able to focus on specific areas such as digital and content marketing. She then became a marketing supervisor. In this position, she oversees the entire marketing function in her department, providing leadership, direction and strategic guidance to the marketing team.

She is responsible for developing and executing marketing strategies and ensuring the team achieves its goals. Furthermore, she manages all social media platforms, creates newsletters and undertakes a range of other managerial functions.

Her achievements are underscored by her commitment to continuous learning thanks to the foundation that YES provided.

She completed a certificate course in fundamental marketing.

YES has played a pivotal role in Mhlongo’s development. It has given her the essential skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the professional world. Her journey from a shy teacher assistant to a confident marketing leader highlights the programme’s impact on shaping and moulding young professionals for success. DM

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South Africa

Vuyiswa Gaba: Finance ­professional

Tshegofatso Sekwele: Head of department

Warren Mkhize: Business owner

Wendy Mhlongo: Marketing leader

Vuyiswa Gaba: Finance professional