Growing skills through community development

There are a number of companies which are in the process of establishing or implementing programmes which will attract new skills to the industry. One of these programs is FedGroup’s Beneficiary Education Care Trust Program which offers students in underprivileged communities an opportunity to further their education which would allow them to pursue a career in the industry.

FedGroup is one of the major players in the South African insurance industry and the beneficiary fund industry. The company has built its reputation on investments that they make in its beneficiaries. FedGroup Marketing Executive, Brett Field says that the programme is merely an extension of how FedGroup cares for its beneficiaries on a daily basis.

Funded by a portion of FedGroup’s Beneficiary Fund fees, the Beneficiary Care Education Trust programme sponsors a Beneficiary who would like to study further but does not have access to the funds to do so.

According to Field, the program does more than just sponsor education; it creates role models out of graduates.

"To ensure that we unlock full potential, we offer our beneficiaries mentorship through vacation jobs as well as an opportunity to work for FedGroup full time once their studies have been completed. We want our graduates to be role models to their communities and other beneficiaries who find themselves in similar situations”, explains Field.

Through the sponsorship and mentorship of FedGroup, Brinny Mphogo has gone from a high school pupil who was unsure of his future to a University graduate where he got a BA Corporate Communications at the University of Johannesburg.

 

Mphogo made the most of the opportunity given to him by FedGroup. Working part time, he has gained experience in various areas of the business. He was recently appointed as a Beneficiary Care Specialist which Field says is a fitting role as Mphogo is passionate about beneficiary funds and can relate to the challenges of many beneficiaries in South Africa.

For Mphogo though, FedGroup is more than just a sponsor or an employer. "What started off as a holiday job has turned into something much more. FedGroup has invested in me, my education, my future and my success. They have become my family. Because of FedGroup, I was the first member of my family to set foot into a Tertiary institution. They have taught me how to save, how to work hard, how to make things happen and how to think,” he says.

While the company is playing a role in community development, it is also creating a recruitment strategy which will not only attract new skills to the company, but may also build its future leadership.

"FedGroup invested in my future and in turn, I am giving them a service,” says Mphogo. In addition to being the Group’s Beneficiary Care Specialist, Mphogo is also a role model for the programme and was tasked with finding the next candidate for the Beneficiary Education Care Trust Programme. Vincent Sejaamoholo is currently in his second year of studying towards a BCom General degree and like Mphogo, he too hopes to become a full time employee at FedGroup.

Field hopes that more corporates will follow FedGroup’s example. "There should be more of us who invest in raw talent, who have the long term vision to invest in a young person’s education, future and success,” he concludes.

• To watch an exclusive YouTube Video of Brinny Mphogo’s story please scan the following QR code with your smartphone.