Graduates Are Not Exposed To The Realities of Corporate SA

Sometimes I sit and ask myself: Are our graduates prepared for what they will discover once they enter corporate SA? I worked for 15 years before starting my own business and there are things that I wish I knew before entering the workplace.

There seems to be a confusion when it comes to preparing graduates for the work life. We hear of internships, learnerships and similar programmes as a measure to address that. While these programmes are affective in honing practical skills, they are one step too late when it comes to preparing graduates for corporate SA. By the time these programmes take place, the graduate is already in the workplace.

Preparation should look at having the necessary information before that process even begins. Otherwise, the graduate, being at an early stage of maturity, may suffer more work stress than the average working adult. This could inflict some workplace trauma which could have long lasting career impact.

There are four pieces of information that I think graduates should be exposed to before they enter the workplace (maybe while they are doing their third year). This information can form a picture of what they might face once they enter corporate SA.

Occupational Levels and Authority

Graduates need to understand different occupational levels in their field and how reporting works. They need to understand how supporting roles work and the rate of instructions that they will be getting. This needs to be normalized before they graduate.

Industry Pressure and Current Affairs

Being aware of the volatility of certain industries can assist graduates to understand job security. It is a scary reality that they need to be aware of so that they can have plans of action, whether it be upskilling themselves once they work or pivot. This will help them to have clear career plans.

Policies and Disciplinary

As much as graduates sign policies when they join companies, it may be beneficial for them to understand what those policies are and what they mean before they even enter the workplace. They need to be aware of what is considered missteps and how they are dealt with. When it comes to HR, everything is scary when you do not know exactly what it means.

Causes of Workplace Stress

From toxic bosses to micromanagers, graduates need to know these dynamics in the workplace. If they walk in naively, they may get emotionally damaged. Gaining knowledge of these stressful situations at work will help them to prepare mentally for what is to come.

With this said, corporate SA can play a major role in working with institutions of higher learning to support initiatives that can help with these four points. This could either be through CSI or Skills Development. Subsequently, companies will build a pipeline of good talent. This is in their best interest.