From L-R: Sibusiso Manyoni, Simone Mbatha, Selma Kruger, Shirley Setona, Kamogelo Sebopela, Jerusha Meldrum, Anton Hofman, Madelein Botha, Marlé Steenekamp, Naledi Malamule, Mukondeleli Tshilimandila and Lebogang Tsotetsi

My Opportunities are Endless, Thanks to the YLF

For Mukondeleli Tshilimandila, living his life without continuously learning is unthinkable. “To learn is to grow and the greater your knowledge, the closer you are to the sun,” he says. According to him ongoing learning expands a person’s skill set and opens doors to future opportunities. He firmly believes that it is the cornerstone of personal and professional development that helps one to reach one’s full potential.

Mukondeleli has been a PPS Financial Adviser for the past six years. He has observed the Graduate Internship Development Programme in action from inception to date and was part of the inaugural Young Leadership Forum (YLF) cohort. “Access is imperative,” he explains. “It means that young minds are given an opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired at university and turn it into practical skills.” He says that by exposing young people to challenging projects, the YLF and Graduate Internship Programme help them to hone their skills while gaining valuable work experience.

“The YLF was an amazing period in my life that led to many opportunities. There were hard times like when we had to deliver under pressure; this taught me the importance of time management in a team setting. The challenging times were offset by moments of glory, however, like when a presentation I delivered was well received!”

Mukondeleli concedes that there are key barriers that block young people from actively participating in the companies they are part of. One of the biggest stumbling blocks is the tendency of existing employees to treat graduates as unskilled individuals who will not add value. “It’s difficult for some existing staff members and even some companies as a whole to embrace change,” he says.

“The youth of today are the industry leaders of tomorrow. By investing in the development of young South Africa, companies invest in the economic future of our country. Our young people are hungry for success. Given the opportunity, they are quick to learn and resilient team players who help organisations to keep abreast of the latest in local and global trends,” says Mukondeleli.