GREENHOUSES I SHADE NET I HYDROPONICS I AQUAPONICS
Young FPEF graduates in a greenhouse.
The new voices of Agriculture: Young, Diverse, Innovative Transformation is a complex phenomenon linked with many different interpretations. There are several key strategies to facilitate transformation and inclusion in any given industry. Skills development is one of the many ways the South African agricultural industry has chosen to embrace.
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long the value chain, the South African government has developed programmes to welcome graduates in the agricultural industry. Equally, the private sector has implemented its programmes such as the FPEF Graduate Placement Programme. Implementation of transformation programmes demands prioritisation and dedicated personnel who are equally passionate about the subject matter. We had the opportunity to discuss transformation and graduate placement with the FPEF Transformation manager, Johannes Brand. Racial unity has been a personal passion since his days in Zimbabwe. He elaborated that he would like to see South Africa overcoming its bitter history of apartheid and creating a healthy integrated society.
The FPEF Graduate Placement Programme specifically aims to place high-calibre, black, tertiary graduates in junior commercial, logistics and technical roles in South African fruit export companies. According to Johannes, the programme focuses on the second part of the value chain, which is in line with the FPEF’s mandate as their members are primarily fresh produce exporters and logistic companies. However, it is important to note that different organisations have internships that specifically serve their members. Johannes encouraged graduates to look for opportunities within the industry they wish to go into. For example, during his university days, he identified that the fresh produce export industry was growing, and thereafter he targeted fresh produce export companies when
18 Undercover farming I March/April 2022 I Volume 19 No 2
he was applying for a bursary. The FPEF Graduate Placement Programme hit a landmark last year (2021), with the appointment of 14 graduates in FPEF member companies, bringing the total to 48 since the programme launched in 2016. One of the 2021 FPEF interns, Zama Sangweni, firmly believes that an internship is an amazing opportunity for young people to get their foot into the industry. She elaborated further by saying: “The emergence of an initiative like the FPEF internship has changed my life for the better and has given me a platform to showcase my skills. The unemployment rate is high in this country and seeing industry stakeholders do something about
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