TransNamib invests N$12m in capacity-building

ELLANIE SMIT WINDHOEKTransNamib has invested over N$12 million on human resource capacity-building programmes since 2018. The company said despite its limited financial resources, it has provided apprenticeships, traineeships and internships through strategic partnerships.“Undoing some of the legacy challenges of TransNamib over the past 20 years has not been easy, but various initiatives have been put in place to support the medium to long-term human resource capacity-building at the company,” corporate communication manager Abigail Raubenheimer said.According to her, TransNamib has provided over 115 apprenticeship opportunities in trades such as mechanics, electricians and boilermaking for the past two years.These technical skills and programmes are in the format of on the job training, attachment programmes, academic training and internships for periods ranging from six months to three years between TransNamib’s workspace, its training school and training institutions, she said.Long-term strategyHistorically, TransNamib developed and produced various technical skills and human resource capacity through its internal traineeships - both for its own needs and for various industries, Raubenheimer added.She said as a long-term approach and strategy, the company has reignited this programme at a smaller scale to build more in-house capacity.The training and development programmes provide the opportunity to continue working for TransNamib, if there are any suitable vacancies available, she said.Apart from technical programmes, the company has also developed human resources within administrative fields such as finance, marketing, information technology, transport and logistics, human resources and properties.Raubenheimer added that for the first time in 15 years, the company provided the opportunity to 10 employees from various supervisory and managerial levels to participate in development programmes with the aim on broadening the self-awareness, leadership attributes and management skills required in the ever-changing business environment.Trainee train driver schemeTransNamib also recently advertised its trainee train driver scheme for youth between the ages of 18 and 25. The programme is designed to develop the selected trainees into train drivers in the shortest period of time.“As part of our business plan and building human resource capacity specifically for train operations, we have recently embarked on a recruitment drive to build our train crew which will have to support the growth in the number of trains that we are planning to put in place within the next five years, Raubenheimer said.Webster Gonzo, executive of human capital at TransNamib, said it was difficult to develop opportunities for growth for staff before 2018 as the company had a period of seven years with no human resources developing programmes.“Therefore, the company has a serious deficit in the appropriate skills in many areas. We have, however, focused on various technical programmes and partnerships during the past 24 months to create more capacity for the future development of the company.”

TransNamib invests N$12m in capacity-building

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-03

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TransNamib invests N$12m in capacity-building

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-03

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