Mover and Shaker

Dirk Bock, Assistant Accountant at Pupkewitz Toyota, completed his grade 12 in 2012 at JG Van der Wath Secondary School in Okahandja, but could not continue his studies due to a lack of funds.

To save money for university, he quickly started applying for jobs at various companies, with the Pupkewitz Motor Division being one of them.

In early 2013, he found employment as a part-time teacher at Nau-Aib Primary School in Okahandja. During that time, he also worked in construction and did a number of welding jobs with his father, and by the end of 2013 he raised enough money to pay for his registration.

He registered for a Bachelor’s degree in Economics at the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST) and started with the course in 2014. In the same year he received a call from the Pupkewitz Motor Division for an interview for the Commercial Advancement Training Scheme (CATS) programme, where after an aptitude test, he was told he was one of the successful candidates.

He cancelled his degree course to pursue the CATS programme, as it allowed him to gain experience and theoretical knowledge while receiving a monthly allowance, which assisted him with purchasing course material.

Dirk successfully completed his CATS certificate through NUST in 2016. He was then permanently employed within the Pupkewitz Motor Division as a costing clerk at Pupkewitz Toyota. In May 2017, he was promoted to assistant accountant, the position he currently holds.

A holistic programme of job-related skills development and training for employees is in place at the Pupkewitz Group. The vision for its skills development initiatives is part of the group’s culture of continuous education, a training mind-set and practice, in order to successfully develop employees and provide exceptional service to customers. Creating a culture of caring, training and development through the education and training programme for staff members is high on the group’s agenda.

Dirk is one of the candidates who successfully completed the Toyota Master Service Advising Training as part of the group’s Skills Development Program.

“The most important aspect of the training was getting an understanding of customer needs and developing a sense of solution to meet their needs. It also widened my knowledge on the technical part of vehicles, service delivery lead-time and the importance of communication.

“The course also explained the principles which the Toyota Corporation was founded on and how to apply this to business. The most important aspect for me as an individual was the Kaizen principle that puts emphasis on continuous improvement. Interestingly, this has always been my trademark and the driving force for my career,” Dirk said.

He added: “I have realised that the Pupkewitz Group does not only focus on the value that it can add to the business but the value that it can bring out of employees. The Pupkewitz Group has a unique way of realising potential and providing tools and opportunities to employees to realise and harvest that potential. All successes are realised and all failures are either eliminated or gradually evaded. The group has a pencil effect; it sharpens your skills and knowledge; it could be a bumpy road but it definitely makes an impact one way or another.”