One of the objectives of the company is growth – for individuals and the business. Currently faced with the talent shortage in the software development landscape, BET Software is doing its bit to leverage graduate and mentorships programs in order to attract, train and retain top talent.
Graduates from various tertiary institutions who receive ICT bursaries from BET Software, spend a year as part of BET Software’s Graduate Programme. This is paid work experience, where they learn about all aspects of the company. The graduates have a carefully designed work plan for twelve months, which includes learning soft skills, business skills, and financial literacy, whilst getting to know BET Software’s core products and being mentored by an assigned BET Software Team Member. BET Software’s aim is to fully employ the graduates at the end of the twelve months.
How does this help the organization and how do Team Members benefit from being mentors?
Employee career development
The learning and development culture within the company encourages our Software Engineers to take active responsibility for their growth. Team Members are provided with the correct tools to upskill themselves. In turn, this helps improve Team retention.
Collaboration amongst Team Members
From problem-solving to learning from each other, collaboration increases the rate of productivity. It is less likely that Team Members will face difficulties if they share their knowledge and levels of experience.
Exchange of intelligent feedback
Another essential part of personal development is sharing positive feedback as this enhances your knowledge and expertise in areas where one should improve and how to go about it. In turn, Team Members can then sow this knowledge back into the workplace.
Improving skills with the right resources
When mentoring graduates, reviewing and revising their tasks is vital. Since there is a huge possibility that the mentor might have, at some point, been faced with a similar challenge, they will be in the best position to offer sound advice.
Encouraging professional and personal growth
Learning soft skills is one of our main objectives. Mentorship improves personal growth. A mentor can also teach a mentee how to work and communicate with people in and outside the workspace.
The upside to being a mentor is that there is a lot of growth for both parties, which essentially benefits the organization. Sharing your expertise with new Team Members who are eager to learn and develop their skillset can be incredibly rewarding. Watching a newbie go from strength to strength and actively playing a role in their professional development allows you to hone your own skills while helping someone else reach their full potential.
Remember: “A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” Bob Proctor
Lwazi Sibisi
Digital Marketing Specialist at BET Software
