Oryx Properties welcomes ­graduates and bursary students

Oryx Properties hosted a welcoming event for new graduates and bursary students at the Maerua Mall Rooftop yesterday. The initiative is part of the company’s commitment to addressing the skills shortage in Namibia’s property industry through hands-on training in areas such as finance, asset management, and operations.



Oryx Properties chief executive Ben Jooste said that the programme was borne out of a need to close the sector’s critical skills gap and works in partnership with local universities to provide graduates with real-world industry experience.



“There is a large skills gap or skills shortage within the Namibian space, especially within the property sector. We realised a few years back that it took us a significant amount of time to fill positions, and that scarcity challenge was something we had to try and solve.”



Jooste said the two-year programme benefits both the graduates and Oryx by developing well-rounded professionals ready to thrive in the sector.



“We can take these students out of university and give them an opportunity to come into the real-life experience industry, as we know it, in all facets of our business.”



Laurika Ashipala and Rauma Shagama, both final-year students at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) who are part of the bursary programme, expressed their excitement and gratitude for being part of the initiative.



“I’m honoured to be a part of this programme, and I’m looking forward to being an asset and a member of the Oryx team,” Ashipala said.



Shagama added: “This is going to provide a valuable step in achieving my career aspirations, seeing that Oryx is one of the leading property companies in the country. I am very excited, and I intend to make the most out of it.”