Coca-Cola trainees begin management programme

Candidates together with the Coca-Cola South Africa Business Leadership Team

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Run in partnership with the Wits Business School and sponsored by Coca-Cola South Africa and its bottling partners, the learning and development programme is designed to offer excellent, cross-functional, training and business exposure that equips trainees with the necessary skills and knowledge to build a successful and enriching long-term career.

After an initial 700 external applications in June 2009, candidates were carefully assessed according to their competencies and only 18 made the final cut.

Speaking at the welcoming event, which was held at the Coca-Cola South Africa headquarters in Parktown, the president of Coca-Cola South Africa, William Egbe, reminded the graduates that they have been presented with an opportunity not only to develop themselves, but also to contribute towards community development and economic growth of the country.

Producing professionals

"As a system we're very proud of the programme as we've seen the calibre of professionals it produces from past candidates, who were subsequently employed by the company. These are individuals who've become an integral part of our organization and others have moved on to make a difference not only in the country but also in the communities that we do business in," Egbe emphasized. "This is also one of the many ways that we're trying to make a difference and contribute towards skills development in South Africa," concluded Egbe.

The multi-million rand programme, which is aimed at unearthing and nurturing the country's best talent, also presents an opportunity to the candidates to be permanently employed within the company system in South Africa after the programme. Those candidates who make it at the end of the programme are absorbed into various disciplines that include sales & marketing, finance, and supply chain (including engineering).