Bank Windhoek welcomes first GDP graduates

Bank Windhoek recently officially welcomed 13 graduates from the bank’s Graduates Development Programme (GDP) at a ceremony in Windhoek.
The graduates consisted of five males and eight females who were trained at the bank’s Learning and People Development Centre. They were the first intake of the programme.
Graduates who majored in economics, banking, accounting and business administration studies, were selected from hundreds of applicants to join the programme. Training commenced at the beginning of the year. The training focused on credit and collateral Modules, with a minimum pass rate of 80%. As part of the course, the graduates were placed in various branches for two months to obtain practical experience.
Bank Windhoek’s Executive Officer for Human Resources, Stephanie Viljoen, told the graduates that Bank Windhoek believes in giving talented individuals a chance to uplift and develop themselves. “Bank Windhoek is willing to invest time and energy into this programme, but most importantly, it is the people that we invest in. We need people with new ideas that can challenge us, and come up with fresh ideas on how to approach situations,” said Viljoen.
Nine of the graduates have been deployed in branches across the country while five have been placed on the Accelerated Training Programme (ATP). “The ATP is a platform used to further train and develop employees. The aim is to groom and prepare them for critical positions within the bank,” said Bank Windhoek’s Human Resource Business Partner, Benster Ntesa. According to Ntesa, those on ATP will function as a resource pool. They will still be observed and considered for various vacancies within the branches and departments.
“Retail banking is the core of Bank Windhoek. This is where things happen in terms of servicing our customers and living our brand. Bank Windhoek is a Namibian bank and very proud of our heritage,” said Chris Matthee, Executive Officer for Retail Banking Services.
After writing 11 assessments, verbal and observation training, Tuana Nyjamba was the top achiever in the group with an average score of 94% pass mark.
Sebastian Tjitombo spoke on behalf of the graduates. “We look forward to joining this 35 year old wholly Namibian institution. Bank Windhoek forms part of the pillars of the financial services industry and is an equal contributor to the growth and development of our economy. It is an honour to finally be part of this organisation,” he said.