Leading enterprise asset management company, Pragma, will again host its hugely successful Student Training Programme from 26 June to 14 July in Cape Town this year.
Says Stéphan Pieterse, Chief People Officer: “The three-week programme is specifically aimed at B.Eng. or B.Sc.Eng. (Industrial, Mechanical and Electrical) students in their third or fourth year of studies. The course introduces students to the concepts of enterprise asset management as well as Pragma’s service offering. Furthermore, they are exposed to the work of an Asset Care Engineer at a Pragma client, as well as various coaching and mentoring sessions with Pragma’s senior management at the start of their careers. A formal exam is written during the last week for which a 70% pass rate is required to graduate from the programme”
Pieterse adds that students work together in groups and are assigned real projects. “They’re guided by Pragma’s Asset Care Engineers in the process of researching and analysing the problem and compiling a solution, which they then present on the final day of the programme.”
According to Nina van Rooyen, a 2014 Alumni who is currently doing her Master’s degree, it was by far the best vacation training she has had. “I’m 100% sure I will never come across such a good programme in my life again. The overall feedback was 150% positive. Pragma added value. More than you’ll know. Many, many thanks.”
Alumni William Opondo is also extremely positive. “Honestly speaking, I was better prepared for life after university in the three weeks of the course than the three years I spent at university!”
Pragma views this programme as an important opportunity to attract the brightest young talent from South Africa’s universities. Pieterse explains: “We get the opportunity to introduce future engineers to asset management and the value that could be unlocked by responsible asset owners when partnering with us.”
Launched in 2011, the programme has been an enormous success and has won various industry accolades. It excelled at the 2015 fp&m seta Skills Development Summit, winning in the Best Graduate Training Programme, the AccelorMittal Best Training Programme as well as the SAASTA Best Innovative Training Programme categories.
Pieterse concludes: “Students who complete the three-week Student Training Programme will definitely have an advantage over other candidates when applying for an engineering position, not only at Pragma, but also at other engineering firms. It’s a huge privilege for my colleagues and me to work with these young, intelligent and ambitious minds. They will go out there and make a difference in the world, not only as engineers, but also as citizens of our beautiful country.”
With only ten spots available, interested students need to apply at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PragmaSTP2017 by 30 March 2017.
