Corporate Social Investment

The Botswana IFSC’s Corporate Social Investment is delivered through the Skills Readiness Initiative which was introduced in 2004. This initiative is a closely aligned to our mandate of creating employment opportunities for suitably qualified Batswana citizens within the financial and ICT sectors.

This initiative comprises of 3 distinct but complementary components; the annual career fair, www.careerfairbotswana.com, an online job portal, www.botsjobs.com and the internship program.

The Career Fair, www.careerfairbotswana.com is an annual event that grants an opportunity for current and potential interns to interact with different employer groups exhibiting at the Fair. Every year during the Fair reputable speakers give presentations on various topics on important aspects of professional life like CV writing, interviewing skills and productivity.

Botsjobs.com is an internet job portal, accessible at www.botsjobs.com, allows subscribing companies’ access to a pool of qualified job seekers. Companies can search through the extensive and growing database of registered job-seekers, or post jobs adverts that job-seekers can respond to. In addition to connecting with potential employers, job-seekers can also take advantage of valuable career guidance information.

Botsjobs.com is an evolution from the Botswana IFSC CV database. The Botswana CV Database was established in 2004 as a response to two emerging concerns. Firstly, international investors were skeptical about the existence of sufficient qualified financial professionals and trainable graduates. Concurrently, young Batswana job-seekers were struggling to find employment.

The objectives of botsjobs.com are; to enable Botswana companies to search for skills amongst young residents and Batswana based abroad, provide young Batswana a modern and efficient platform for accessing employment opportunities and career advice. It also assists the Botswana IFSC in its marketing efforts by exposing potential investors to current available skills.

The Internship Program is perhaps the heart of the “Skills Readiness Initiative” and it is geared towards matching the growing number of young Botswana graduates with the requirements of companies and to grant them an opportunity to acquire practical work experience and instill in them  positive work ethos. To further mentor and support the interns during their internship the Botswana IFSC annually hosts an Internship Workshop.

The Skills Readiness Initiative is supported by a Committee of Advisors who provides guidance and support to the program by ensuring that the program is aligned to market needs. The current composition of the Committee is; Department of Curriculum, Department of Student Placement, Tertiary Education Council, Botswana Training Authority (BOTA), the University of Botswana (UB) Career and Counseling Division, CGP Consultants, People’s Connections, Human Resources Management Consultants (HRMC), Ministry of Finance, Department of Youth and Culture and the Botswana IFSC.

The Management of the Botswana IFSC is fully committed to the Skills Readiness Initiative and has embraced this project by dedicating their personal time and effort to add value to the growth of other national and international programmes aligned to the objectives of this initiative. Leading by example, the CEO of the Botswana IFSC, Mr. Alan Boshwaen is the National Patron of Junior Chamber International (JCI). JCI is a worldwide network of young leaders and entrepreneurs in over 100 countries. To contribute to the advancement of the global community, JCI provides young people the opportunity to develop the leadership skills, social responsibility, entrepreneurship and fellowship necessary to create positive change.

The Senior Business Development Executive of the Botswana IFSC, Mr. Letsebe Sejoe, is the Patron of the University of Botswana (UB) Finance Society. The UB Finance Society is an organization that strives to promote excellence among Finance students in matters of financial relevance through a variety of initiatives aimed at cultivating well-rounded, competent professionals through collaborations with professionals and leaders within and outside Botswana.