Windhoek, 06 July 2026 – Namibia’s youth employment conversation is increasingly becoming a workplace readiness conversation. In her statement on the implementation of the National Programme for Employment Creation, President Dr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah linked employment creation to Namibia’s Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) for 2025–2030 and confirmed government’s apprenticeship, internship and graduate internship programmes.
By requiring public institutions to take on apprentices and interns, government has made structured workplace exposure part of the national development agenda.
For the private sector the message is clear: the challenge is no longer limited to producing qualifications – it is to help young people convert those qualifications into capability and contribution.
Nedbank Namibia’s Graduate Training and Internship Programme speaks to this shift by creating an intentional pathway between academic learning and the demands of a working bank.
The current intake reflects the skills required in a modern financial institution. Graduates and interns are placed across Nedbank’s Finance; Human Capital; Bancassurance; Operational Risk Management; Information and Communication Technology; Business Enablement, Data and Innovation; Treasury; Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB); Marketing, and Valuations.
Their fields of study include accounting, industrial psychology, applied mathematics and statistics, statistics, information technology, data science, financial mathematics, quantitative finance, mining engineering, media studies, and property studies.
The intake draws from Namibian tertiary institutions, including the University of Namibia, Namibia University of Science and Technology, and the International University of Management.
Importantly, the programme also connects to Nedbank Namibia’s broader investment in education. Of the 15 current participants, 33.3% are bursary holders, representing a clear link between supporting education and real work skill transfer.
Namibia’s National Work Integrated Learning Policy 2025–2030 gives this work a broader national context. The policy seeks to make the workplace experience a structured part of higher education, including technical and vocational education and training (TVET) by connecting theoretical learning with authentic workplace practice.
In practical terms, work integrated learning helps students develop discipline, applied skills, professional behaviour and confidence before they are expected to carry full workplace responsibility.
Bianca Muller, Executive of Human Capital at Nedbank Namibia, says this is also a human capital priority. ‘Young Namibians are increasingly educated, and that is encouraging.
The next step is to help them translate education into workplace confidence, values-led decision-making and client-centred contribution. For Nedbank Namibia, this is part of building money experts who do good.’
For participants, the value is tangible. Kaziva de Klerk says her experience has broadened her understanding of banking and insurance, adding: ‘
My experience at Nedbank Namibia has been overwhelmingly positive.’ Kris Cristiano, placed within CIB, says the environment has pushed him to adapt quickly and think critically while deepening his understanding of how financial systems support large-scale projects.
Programmes of this nature create lasting value when they are structured, supported by mentorship and strengthened through feedback. With Afrobarometer reporting that 83% of young Namibians have at least secondary education and 23% hold post-secondary qualifications, the opportunity lies in translating education into meaningful employment.
Nedbank Namibia’s continued investment in its Graduate Training and Internship Programme and Bursary Programme is a practical contribution to Namibia’s future skills pipeline.
