The Young Graduate Programme of Total has been hailed by beneficiaries as an important programme which has helped empower and boost their skills at the workplace.

The Young Graduate Programme, launched in 2016, is a career development and empowerment programme aimed at building and equipping newly graduated youth with skills through global exposure and practical experience. The programme, conceptualized by the Marketing & Services division of the Total Group in Africa and the Middle East (France) has so far benefitted twelve (12) Ghanaian graduates.

The first set of four (4) graduates who were picked after a thorough selection process were David Yaw Kumah, George Boamah Nkansah, Endesha Serwaa Amanquah and Ewurabena Asaam, alumni of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

The beneficiaries of this first edition spent the first six months of the eighteen-month period at Total Petroleum Ghana whilst the remaining twelve months were spent at the Total Office in France and its affiliates in Uganda and Kenya.    

Sharing his thoughts on how impactful this programme has been to his career, George Nkansah stated “the experience has been worthwhile; this programme gave me a firsthand experience and training on the job.” According to him, “this programme has been very useful by preparing me for the future and giving me an opportunity to hone my skills in a world-class environment.”

On his part, David Yaw Kumah who was posted to Total France says “the programme is one of a kind and it has been a life-changing period for me; I have experienced and done things that I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams.” He further adds “I have learned from the most ambitious, amazing and inspiring people throughout the programme in both Ghana and France.”

Comments from the other two beneficiaries from the first batch namely Endesha Serwaa Amanquah and Ewurabena Asaam who were both posted to Total Kenya are equally inspiring. In the words of Endesha, a Petroleum Engineering graduate, “The programme has effectively impacted on my personal skills - the exposure, the challenges I was given, the projects accomplished, the nudge to constantly improve my performance; all these developed me holistically. This experience will remain with me for life.”

Ewurabena Asaam, a Petrochemical Engineering graduate, also speaks of the significance of the programme in cultivating in her “a keen learning attitude which has served me well to better understand the guidance and instructions of the supervisors. Overall, my training has made me more resilient as I easily adapt to most situations that could arise in my career.”

Inductees for the 2017 batch are currently serving twelve months in Total Ethiopia, Total Sierra Leone, Total Zambia and Total Mozambique while the 2018 batch recently begun their programme at Total Petroleum Ghana Ltd.

Speaking about the programme, the Human Resource Manager of Total Ghana, Mr. Bright Dokosi said that ‘’For Total, this programme is a key element in realizing its ambition as the responsible energy major. The company noticed that in many African countries there is a large difference between what the educational system teaches young people and the actual needs expressed by companies. This programme gives them skills that are transferable thus enhancing their employability. Every year, 37 African countries participate in the Young Graduate program. It is also an equal-opportunity program because half of the participants are young women. Total Ghana will continue to empower young people in the country and grant them the opportunity to compete in the professional space through this programme.’’