My favourite author and scholar in leadership, John C Maxwell, reminds us that “a leader is great not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others”.
At the risk of singing for my supper, competition commissioner Doris Tshepe is one such leader whose commitment to empowering young professionals is commendable. Over 65% of the commission’s employees are young professionals.
As we give credit where it is due, SA is increasingly adapting to believing in a leadership cohort that is youthful, innovative and agile. This could be attributed to, among other things, an urgent need to catch up with a rapidly evolving society of AI and digital economies. We need a society that is able and ready to tackle micro- and macroeconomic challenges we are faced with.
Late last year I wrote a column encouraging high-achieving graduates to consider applying for the Competition Commission’s cadet graduate programme.
This is an intensive two-year programme that not only prepares graduates for a career in competition regulation but also supports those with a background in economics, strategy, and information technology to hone their skills during the training programme. I am excited to share that 22 of the most outstanding graduates have now started their journey with the commission.
Our holistic approach to developing young professionals who are ready to make a difference in the country started late last year, offering workplace readiness training to 50 graduates.
This reflects our commitment to ensuring that we afford as many applicants to our cadet programme a fair and equal opportunity to perform their best in the interview process, while also empowering exceptional talent as they transition into the professional world.
The dynamic two-day work readiness and interview preparation programme is designed by our team of human capital professionals with the aim of bridging the gap between academic achievement and workplace realities.
Skills such as networking, financing for young professionals, presentation, and intentional career planning formed part and parcel of the programme.
The participants also had an opportunity to interact with different divisions of the commission, and staff who had started their journey with the regulator as cadets shared their experiences and teachings and how the training programme had shaped their career trajectory.
For many graduates, this was their first time participating in a workplace readiness programme or travelling beyond their home provinces.
While we are unable to offer all 50 participants a place in our cadet programme, we wholeheartedly believe that the training has left them better positioned to compete, stand out, and seize future opportunities with the commission, contributing to a more capable, prepared, and competitive workforce.
For the 22 graduates who are now part of the commission family, the next two years kicked off with a two-week induction or orientation programme, where graduates gained a foundational understanding of the work that each division and unit in the commission does.
I was particularly excited about the interest from the graduates to take part in media projects and their interest in expanding our messaging beyond mainstream media.
Throughout the orientation, economists, investigators and analysts all explained how they put theory into practice and shared more insights from their time at the commission building a dynamic and competitive economy that touches the lives of all South Africans.
The talent, professionalism, enthusiasm and diverse backgrounds of this cohort have left me excited for what the next workforce generation will bring to the table as they serve the public, protect consumers, shape markets, and strengthen the trust in public institutions.
- Makunga is spokesperson for the Competition Commission of SA
