EMBU, KENYA, May 24, 2017_Cytonn Investments
has today partnered with the University of Embu under its graduate trainee programme
the Cytonn Young Leaders Programme
(CYLP). The partnership will see top students from the institution join the
CYLP after their graduation and receive mentorship on career growth and
leadership in various fields including entrepreneurship, real estate, investments,
economics, marketing, quantity survey, ICT and legal.
The Cytonn Young Leaders Programme is an intense and competitive 12-week
training programme that exposes fresh university graduates to
the office environment and culture. The programme exposes participants to challenging and fulfilling career options, with an
emphasis on leadership and problem-solving.
The programme commenced in January 2015, with
an inaugural class of 6 investment interns. To date, the programme has had over
426 young leaders from various universities across the country participating with
Cytonn offering jobs to 129 of them. The progress of individuals who leave at
the end of the programme is tracked and most of them have a head start as they
begin fulfilling careers.
Speaking during the
officiating ceremony of the partnership at Embu University, Cytonn Investments Managing
Partner and Chief Executive Officer Edwin H. Dande said that CYLP is an
essential recruitment tool as a company is only as good as its’ employees. “For Cytonn, recruitment is a rigorous, decisive and competitive process
because our future success depends on recruiting and training the most capable
graduates. In order to deliver the best investment returns and services to our
clients, we have to have the best asset, which is people. Consequently, we
spare no resource in seeking to recruit the most talented people,” he said.
“There exists a gap between the talent churned out by the universities and the
actual talent required by the market. In this light, CYLP seeks to fill this
gap by moulding the fresh graduates to fit the current job market. For us, the
less the experience a trainee has, the better, as we have a clean slate to instil
the highest work standards into the trainees,” added Edwin.
Embu University Vice-Chancellor
Professor Daniel Mugendi lauded Cytonn Investments’ efforts to empower the
youth through CYLP noting that such efforts ensure that university students are
ready for the job market. “Companies in the different markets compete for
talented staff who are limited in the market as universities produce graduates
who are more book oriented than practical. The partnership between Cytonn and the
University of Embu will ensure that the graduates who go through the programme
have an edge against their peers. The programme, being very competitive, will
ensure that the trainee can work in high-pressure work environments with ease,”
said Prof. Mugendi.
CYLP is also an initiative of Cytonn Foundation;
the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of Cytonn Investments, under its Training
and Mentorship Pillar that seeks to ensure; i) Learning and development of each individual that goes through CYLP; ii) Exposure
of individuals to the working
environment through a comprehensive and practical experience; iii) Exposure to
the culture of teamwork, excellence, innovation, accountability and integrity;
and iv) Talent acquisition for the company: getting the best of the best talent
in the industry for our human capital.
For one to join the
programme, they ought to i) Have achieved at least a B+ or equivalent in high
school, ii) Graduated or will graduate with at least a second class upper from a
recognized university, iii) Demonstrate leadership qualities and, iv) Be
committed to succeeding in a team context.
