BP and Student Village keep advancing in South Africa

BPSA and Student Village visited 10 campuses across South Africa to ask graduates what “keep advancing” means to them

Alongside partners Student Village, BP South Africa took to the road to engage with students, learn about their aspirations and discuss the potential opportunities for them as employees.

With a strong presence on-campus, BP and Student Village were able to facilitate over 1500 meetings with graduates.

The concept behind “Keep Advancing” is one that students can really get behind,” said Ronen Aires, CEO & founder of Student Village – an organization that works with BP in the youth activation, marketing and graduate development space. “Students, centennials specifically, are really passionate about social causes and a commitment to provide future energy requirements, while at the same time promising to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions is a cause that these students can really connect with.”

“We were able to reach a wide spectrum of students,” said Dineo, a talent acquisition specialist for Early Careers at BPSA.

When addressing the issues raised by graduates, Dineo was keen to draw on her own experience. “I joined BP in 2016 as a learning programmes delivery manager. My journey is one of the examples of how owning your career development can lead to more growth opportunities," she said.

The flexibility to work agile hours makes BP an attractive place to work and there are many opportunities to advance and grow one’s career. Staff learning and development is fully supported through various initiatives and platforms within the organization.

Programmes

“We offer two programmes in SA,” said Dineo. “The downstream graduate programme and learnerships. Learnerships are designed to fast-track the development of previously disadvantaged individuals including unemployed youths and existing employees. We aim to help the young people gain the tools and experience they need to grow a rewarding career at BP.“

Finance graduates rotate through three business units during a three-year tenure and will complete the globally recognized Chartered Institute of Global Management Accounts (CIMA).”

On other functions such as chemical, mechanical, supply chain management, and human resources management, Dineo says: “The programme takes about 24 months depending on your circumstances and experience. There’s a mix of formal learning, hands on experience and tailored training. You’ll also have hands-on support from your line manager and a one-to-one mentor.”

Resonance

“Students really gravitated towards the notion that working for BP would mean,” observed Student Village’s Ronen Aries post the Keep Advancing events. “Flexible work hours, hotspot desks and continuous opportunities of self-development; elements that truly resonate with centennials and their career hopes and expectations.”

BP South Africa is currently recruiting in the graduate and learnership space.