Finance graduate Phumi Mashaba completed the Professional Retail Programme and discovered a world of opportunity. © Pierre Tostee / Mr Price Foundation
IT’S NOT UNUSUAL for tertiary graduates to feel adrift; with no clear vision for their career. Yet one of the best ways to take charge of your future is to invest in learning and professional development.
This doesn’t always require a financial investment – but it does require time. When University of KwaZulu-Natal graduate Phumudzo (Phumi) Mashaba set aside the time to complete JumpStart’s Professional Retail Programme (PRP), her dream career started to take shape.
A nine-month internship, the PRP equips graduates for junior retail positions in buying, planning and store management.
“I studied finance and did my honours in business finance. I didn’t know whether to pursue my Masters or start working. Looking for a job was such a drain. When I found this internship, I was so excited,” says Phumi, a 2017 PRP graduate from Venda.
The experience opened her eyes to the retail world. “The first module was an introduction to the retail industry. We did a few weeks in a factory; we were taught about buying and about fashion. We did fabrics and fibres. It was eye-opening!”
It just opened my world
When Phumi started her internship at Mr Price Group, she saw how her degree fitted into the world of fashion.
“When we were taken to the different departments at Mr Price; I learned that I can use my degree for something else here. It just opened my world. I knew that I was going to do something better, and something more, and there’s so much to choose from.”
After her internship, Phumi successfully interviewed for a location planner position at Mr Price Apparel. It’s a position that aligns with her interests, and she enjoys connecting with associates and managers at store level and learning about buying patterns and behaviours. She’s since been promoted with a bigger portfolio.
“This is what I’m passionate about. I’m all about leaving a footprint in other people’s lives and in the world. And Mr Price gives me the opportunity to do so.”
Investing in yourself might be one of the best investments you make. So make time for yourself – and JumpStart your career with Mr Price Foundation.
Applications for the Professional Retail Programme 2022 are open from 11 November to 13 December 2021. The programme is held in Durban from 1 March to 30 November 2022.
