WINDHOEK, June 20 — The Nedbank Namibia Graduate Development Programme launched its 2022 intake this month. Namibian graduate Vino Tjombonde, has recently been selected to work in the bank’s Treasury Department as part of the 24-month programme.
Faith Cloete, Nedbank’s Head of Human Capital has announced Tjombonde’s selection to the programme. She said, ‘Nedbank believes that technical skills and understanding in today’s world are not sufficient.” Therefore the graduate programmes present an ideal way to develop a workforce of home-grown talent who understand the core values of Nedbank, including our aims and objectives.
The programme aims to develop young talent for possible future leadership roles across Nedbank Africa Regions, providing opportunities for graduates to launch their careers without the need for previous experience. In addition to this, the programme intends to equip graduates with sense-making abilities to enable the type of mindset shifts required to navigate the world of work.
Tjombonde attended Stellenbosch University, where he completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree with majors in Investment Management and Statistics. He is also a CFA Level I candidate and will be undertaking the exams in November. His work will focus on Treasury and Bond Trading under the Graduate Development Programme.
Tjombonde, who was born and grew up in Windhoek, describes himself as an early riser and a gym fanatic. ‘An interesting fact about me is that I am an early worm—I wake up at 04:00 so that I am in the gym by 05:00’. He completed high school at St. Paul’s College in Windhoek, where he obtained full colours in soccer for his commitment to the soccer team. In his matric year, he also attained academic half colours at the end of the second trimester as his average was over 70%. ‘Besides school soccer, I played club football for SKW and was part of the U/19 team that travelled to Germany in 2015 to participate in the 13th International Youth Tournament in Velen, Germany. Our team went undefeated and won the tournament.’
Talking about why he applied to join the Nedbank Graduate Programme, he says he observed that Nedbank encourages career growth within the company. ‘Our MD, Martha Murorua, always states, ‘Let’s land the man on the moon.’ ‘I want to be part of the process that will end in Nedbank landing the man on the moon. As graduates, we will also be undergoing a Management Development Course with the Stellenbosch Business School. Nedbank is still growing, and I want to be a part of that growth. ’ He believes that, in addition to on-the-job training, the programme will provide him with hands-on experience, mentoring and the opportunity to work with industry experts.
Tjombonde shares that his work ethic is inspired by his parents. “My parents are my mentors; they are the hardest-working individuals and I am yet to see them take a day off”. His plan is to make a real impact on Nedbank’s direction and development, as he welcomes challenges. He reflects on his short stint as an intern at a financial services institution in 2021 within the product and pricing team. ‘I worked on a massive project in Namibia, Eswatini, and Lesotho and oversaw handling the ins and outs of the Namibian side of the project. I used my problem-solving skills, and we were able to complete this project successfully and ahead of the deadline. ’
In his free time, he enjoys watching sports, mainly Formula One and football. He also enjoys reading. ‘I love to travel, be it within the Namibian borders or internationally.’ His favourite quote is from the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffet, ‘The most important investment is in yourself.’
In her announcement, Cloete noted that the Nedbank African Regions is based on the recruitment of graduates across all countries, and all screening and assessments for the applicants are customised and standardised. She explained that graduates need to be recruited according to skills required for critical positions and future skills. Adding that the graduates’ induction will be conducted at both the Nedbank Africa Regions cluster level and country level.
The graduates will also go through a rotation process to gain a full understanding of the banking environment. Tjombonde and other trainees across the Nedbank African Regions are expected to complete the core development programme over the first 12 months.
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