Redefine Properties, one of South Africa’s leading Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), is celebrating a decade of successful skills development in the country. Its paid learnership programme entered its 10th year in 2023, creating invaluable opportunities for promising young graduates in the country’s listed property sector.
Starting with just five learners, the programme has since grown from its humble beginnings into one of the sector’s largest and most popular learnerships, with 14 300 applications received in the past year and acceptance subject to a rigorous selection process.
Renske Coetzee, Redefine’s Chief people officer, explains that the learnership programme has a far-reaching impact on graduates, Redefine, the property sector, and the South African economy. For every learner who completes the programme, the impact on other family members can be a multiple of four or more, indicating that the programme has the power to improve and transform many lives.
To date, 411 learners have successfully progressed through the Learnership Programme, of which 61 participants have transitioned into permanent employment at Redefine.
Redefine exemplifies its dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion by actively involving 19 learners with disabilities in the 2023 program.”South Africa faces a scarcity of critical skills and talent,” Coetzee notes, adding that this is increasingly becoming a risk to optimising performance within the South African business landscape “Redefine, as part of its strategic responses, is focused on various initiatives, including the Redefine Learnership Programme, aimed at skilling South Africans to build a future-fit, inclusive and diverse workforce that will create a better future for the property sector and country at large.”
The country faces significant unemployment challenges that have only been exacerbated by macroeconomic factors. The youth are disproportionately affected, with a staggering 60.7% of those aged 15 to 24 being unemployed during the second quarter of 2023.
Coetzee adds that Redefine’s Learnership programme and others offered by Corporate SA are critical to tackling the unemployment challenge in the country. ” As our learnership programme continues to create employment opportunities for first-time entrants into the workplace, we are positively contributing to our country’s employment landscape.”
Redefine’s Learnership Programme offers applicants the opportunity to gain valuable work experience at Redefine Properties for one year while earning a salary. In addition, learners receive a recognised qualification in new venture creation, business administration and project management, as well as industry and professional experience. The programme comprises structured National Qualifications Framework levels 2, 3 and 4 learning and practical on-the-job training in various departments within our business
Over the duration of the programme, a prominent feature is how new pathways are forged between learners, their leaders and colleagues and how innovative and impactful solutions are co-created.
Acknowledged as a Top Employer by Top Employers Institute, the global authority on recognising excellence in people practices, for the 8th consecutive year, Redefine Properties remains committed to retaining and attracting top talent and driving skills development that will enable the company and country to thrive in a competitive landscape.
