Stories of Hope: Episode 20 - Sduduzo Ngema and s'phelele Kunene
Sduduzo Ngema and S’phelele Kunene stories: Follow their journey in the Supply Chain & Logistics industry as they move from warehouse operations to mastering logistics administration. Learn about their experiences in the QCTO Occupational Qualification: Supply Chain Practitioner at NQF Level 5, facilitated by Edge Training, the impact of mentorship, and their dreams of making a difference in their communities. Read more about Stories of Hope: Episode 20 or watch the video.
Sduduzo Ngema:
(00:18) My name is Sduduzo Ngema. I hail from the town of Richards Bay, north of Kwazulu-Natal. But I was born in Howick just outside Pietermaritzburg.
S’phelele Kunene:
(00:34) My name is S’phelele Kunene, I grew up in a place called Port Shepstone at KwaMadlala.
Sduduzo Ngema:
(00:42) So I came to DUT in 2020, I think I was like 27 years old, having to come back to school and restart from the beginning. At first, I was a bit scared because I was like 27 years old at that time going to school with people, like, born in 2001, 18 years old. I was like, I felt like I’ll be the grandfather in the class, but I had to look past all of that because of the future I wanted for myself.
(01:16) It’s been, what I can say being in uvex it’s been quite an experience, I must say. I started off in the warehouse, did my six months in the warehouse learning the ropes, around logistics, dispatching, warehousing, inventory control, stock handling, all of that. And then after those six months, I had to move up to logistics where I’m currently working now.
S’phelele Kunene:
(01:41) Here I like the environment here everyone is nice. They are all welcoming, what I like about them is that they tell you when you’re wrong, they tell you a solution to what you did. They give us, like, the advice to grow. What I can say is that they are all welcoming, the welcoming. They want us to, like, grow and they make us feel like part of the family.
Sduduzo Ngema:
(02:11) We were given another opportunity to pursue a learnership program, which we’re doing under Edge Training. The learnership is Supply Chain Practitioner, which is very has been very vital in our growth in the company. Well, my growth in the company.
(02:30) Well, the learnership has helped me integrate what I’m learning there with what I’m doing here. So basically, in the learnership we are taught on procurement, supply chain, how supply chain works, the logistics behind it, inventory control, stock handling. So, during the learnership, I could actually see where the learnership fits in, in the company, because at first it was just me doing what the job description entitles.
(03:01) But with the learnership, it puts more light into what like, all the processes that are involved in like logistics and warehousing because partly logistics and warehousing are part of supply chain. Supply chain is a bigger umbrella that facilitates all those things.
Mark Hodges:
(03:19) “My name is Mark Hodges. I’m the Finance and Operations Director of uvex Safety South Africa. The purpose of this project is to assist the unemployed DUT students to graduate from DUT, as well as addressing uvex’s BEE responsibilities. Edge Training was identified to run these learnership programs.
(03:37) Edge has given support to uvex by customizing the learnership programs to suit the operational availability of our employees. We trust that these initiatives will be instrumental in upskilling the unemployed youth to enable them to graduate, as well as hopefully giving them enough skills to secure permanent employment, which may include placements at uvex.”
S’phelele Kunene:
(04:11) In the future, I want to run my own company, I want to have my own logistic company.
Sduduzo Ngema:
(04:19) I’d like to see myself, spend more years here at uvex because this is a great company, great team. The people here are very wonderful. They are very caring because, like the mentors that I’ve had, they’ve taught me quite a lot. So, in conclusion, I’d like to thank Rose, who gave us the opportunity or gave me the opportunity to be here today.
(04:44) I’d like to thank the people in the company who have helped with my growth. I’d like to thank Dhaya, who’s my mentor in logistics, Mahendra, who was my mentor in the warehouse, still helps me till this date and I’d like to thank Edge Training. Sorry, I’d like to thank Tammy, who’s my Head of Department as well and outside of the company for going to Edge Training.
(05:08) I’d like to thank the guys from Edge Training who have been very helpful to us, like to thank our facilitator. Who has been doing a very wonderful job, Nompumelelo. Yeah, basically that’s the list and thank my parents for bringing me into this wonderful world. Thank you.
Sphelele Kunene:
(05:30) And I would also like, so thank you uvex for like, for bringing me in and also for, like introducing me to the learnership that I am doing currently. Also, I would like to thank Rose, for bringing into the uvex and introduce me to the uvex.
Next Steps
Are you interested in changing the life of a student while maximising your BEE scorecard? Reach out to Edge Training today! We are an accredited training provider with over 25 years of experience in the Skills Development industry. We offer various learnership programmes so you can find a learnership that best suits your needs. Reach out to one of our representatives today, we can’t wait to hear from you!