Just days after the South African Breweries (SAB) called for applications for its new young graduate-recruitment programme, it has received well over 800 entries.
The beer company announced the first edition of the SAB Talent Challenge last week. It is an interesting recruiting concept that will expose a large number of graduates to the world of work.
The company’s vice-president for people Bridget Makhura said the challenge is a gamified recruitment process to attract the best graduates and entry-level talent who are enthusiastic about finding business solutions.
“It is for young people who are passionate about finding business solutions in the corporate world and the beer industry,” said Makhura.
Young graduates get to apply their theoretical knowledge
She said the company chose the approach to create an environment in which graduates are able to apply the theoretical knowledge they gained in school to real-world situations.
“We want graduates to understand and adapt to the beer industry. To also understand the importance of a company’s culture, values, and work style for success in any role.
“The aim is also to allow them to build support networks to guide and help advance their career opportunities. To develop a range of soft and hard skills, grow their confidence for better performance and be willing to take on new challenges,” she said.
Makhura said candidates will undergo an assessment to evaluate them across a range of abilities and behavioural styles.
“The selected participants will be placed into teams of three members each. These teams will be assigned to different divisions, and they will receive the selected business challenge. The team with the best solution will be invited to the SAB’s offices. It will have the privilege of presenting to the senior leadership.
“A selection of top-performing candidates will be given employment opportunities in one of the company’s graduate programmes,” she said.
She said the company is anticipating a huge interest in the challenge. So much so that it is envisaging having about 45 participants. These will be divided into 15 teams of three each.
“As much as we’d love to absorb everyone, employment will depend on their performance. But SAB has capacity to absorb many of the participants to one of various coveted graduate programmes or entry-level roles,” she said.
Mentorship session also provided
The teams will also be given an opportunity to connect virtually with a company mentor throughout the team challenge.
“These sessions will be used as an opportunity for knowledge-sharing and mentorship to support their preparation for the grand final interview.”
Applications for the challenge close on May 31. The Talent Challenge hurdles will take place between June 1 and July 31. And the grand finale interview is set for August. More information on the programme is available at https://talentchallenge.sab.co.za/
