Nedbank Namibia has expanded its Graduate Training and Internship Programme as employers increasingly move to bridge the gap between academic qualifications and workplace readiness amid persistent youth unemployment.
The initiative comes as the government intensifies efforts to improve graduate employability through the National Programme for Employment Creation and the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), which place greater emphasis on apprenticeships, internships and work-integrated learning.
Nedbank’s latest intake comprises 15 graduates and interns deployed across critical business functions, including Finance, Treasury, Corporate and Investment Banking, Information and Communication Technology, Human Capital, Operational Risk Management, Marketing, Valuations, Bancassurance and Data and Innovation.
The participants were recruited from the University of Namibia (UNAM), the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and the International University of Management (IUM), with qualifications spanning accounting, data science, quantitative finance, industrial psychology, mining engineering, media studies and property studies.
According to the bank, one in three participants is a former bursary recipient, linking its education funding directly to workplace skills development.
Nedbank Executive for Human Capital Bianca Muller said academic qualifications alone are no longer enough to prepare young people for the workplace.
“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.”
The programme aligns with Namibia’s National Work Integrated Learning Policy 2025–2030, which aims to strengthen graduate employability by integrating structured workplace experience into higher education and technical and vocational education and training.
Graduate participant Kaziva de Klerk said the programme had broadened her understanding of banking and insurance, while Kris Cristiano said his placement in Corporate and Investment Banking had provided valuable insight into how banks finance large investment and infrastructure projects.
According to Afrobarometer, 83% of young Namibians have completed at least secondary education, while 23% hold post-secondary qualifications, highlighting the growing challenge of converting educational attainment into meaningful employment.
Nedbank said it will continue investing in its Graduate Training and Internship Programme and bursary scheme as part of its long-term strategy to build a pipeline of skilled professionals for Namibia’s financial sector.
