After going on an extensive interview process to get a sense of the skills available, Synergy will place the spotlight on BI when taking on four postgraduates in the new year, giving them the opportunity to hone their skills under the mentorship of expert senior consultants.
"Our graduate programme is not new - we introduced it about nine years ago - but we are out to improve it, specifically in the BI arena," said Synergy's BI solutions manager, Carl Hochfelden.
To this end, the main focus of the programme will be to provide graduates with:
* exposure to multiple disciplines within BI;
* exposure to multiple industries;
* a focused mentorship programme, where they are rotated through various BI competencies and their skills are tested practically; and
* an improved induction and initial training programme, including a practical training course, at the end of which they will present back to the MD, BI solutions manager and senior consultants.
"The ultimate goal is a well-rounded consultant whom we can confidently place on a customer site, as well as provide a challenging and fruitful career path for at Synergy," said Hochfelden.
He added that Synergy also plans to get closer to the honours programme by working directly with UCT's IS department. This would mean possibly:
* taking up a presentation slot to give students an overview of what Synergy stands for as a business;
* sponsoring a project in the honours class; and
* assisting with a charity organisation.
"We are also embarking on something a little different in November, when varsity vacation starts, by offering a two-month internship to a second-year student. This is another opportunity to get close to students who plan on doing their honours and, while a bit of an experiment at this stage, we are excited to see how it pans out," Hochfelden added.
Synergy MD, Christo Bredenkamp, pointed out the graduate programme has paid off handsomely in the past. "The majority of participants have remained loyal employees who have refined their professional and technical skills and, having been exposed to and grounded in all aspects of BI, have found their fit and are flourishing in their areas of specialisation. In fact, we have seen most graduates stay with us in excess of five years, which we see as an indicator that we are doing something right."
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