Programme to add value

Youth & Careers

By CLARISSA MOI
THE Coca-Cola Amatil PNG Ltd’s graduate development programme (GDP) aims to produce graduates who will be able to add value to the company and the country as a whole, an official says.
General manager Philippe Mondada said a total of 17 young people who had recently graduated, and some who would graduate this year, from the country’s higher institutions were selected to be the first intakes of the programme which would run for 18 months.
“It is important for us to have the programme,” he said.
“ It’s one of the best ways to make sure we have the future talent we need.
“There are many countries where we do have the programme and it is proven that it works wonderfully.
“It’s very interesting to get bright, young graduates right from the start and teach them all the things they need to know about our business.
“It is an added value when you get those guys out of the university and give them the first opportunity, the first job, then obviously, you create a specific relationship and a special bonding.
“They will always remember that this company gave me my first job.
“And it’s wonderful when you get started in life working with a multi-national company because they are great schools, and in order to remain competitive, they have to constantly update what they are doing.
“So constantly we hire people, we get knowledge and we keep ourselves updated all the time.”
Mondada said the graduates would rotate to other business arms and learn how each arm functioned in the company.
“It is wonderful for the graduates and it is wonderful also for us,” he said.
“The idea is to constantly have those programmes so every year we have new guys coming in.”
Agnes Poema, who graduated from the PNG University of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in food technology last year, said she was fortunate to be given the opportunity to be part of the programme.
“It’s very challenging but I am looking forward to taking on the challenge because that was what I signed up for,” she said.
Poena hoped to be well equipped after the programme so that she could contribute to achieving the company’s goals.