The Property Finance Academy was initiated in response to the relatively small property industry skills base, with a limited pool of resources in South Africa
The Nedbank Corporate Property Finance Academy held its eighth national graduation ceremony at its head offices in Sandton, Johannesburg, on 4 March 2014.
Fourteen Nedbank employees from across the country were rewarded for successfully completing a 10-month, six-module programme featuring lectures and assignments on property finance, group property services, leasing, business banking, Nedbank retail, and the property industry.
The academy was launched in February 2008 and has been running in partnership with Wits Enterprise, a University of the Witwatersrand initiative that oversees short courses to maintain professional standards. Wits Enterprise issued a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 6 certificate to each graduate. An NQF level 6 certification is equivalent to a three-year Bachelor’s degree or a higher diploma.
Cebo Nikelo, a lending analyst at Nedbank and academy graduate, said, “I feel that this programme has helped me learn and understand more about the great opportunities which lie within our country’s property industry and with that knowledge I now have a better work ethic because of the skills I learnt.”
“The Property Finance Academy was initiated in response to the relatively small property industry skills base, with a limited pool of resources in South Africa,” said managing executive at Nedbank Corporate Property Finance, Frank Berkeley.
Currently the programme is only available to Nedbank employees in Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Cape Town; since its launch it has issued certificates to 853 graduates from the three regions.
“We are proud to be part of a learning culture and pleased to be giving back to the South African property industry. This graduation ceremony is one of the many ways in which Nedbank aims to make a tangible contribution towards accelerating transformation at Nedbank and in the property industry,” said Berkeley.
The academy was awarded the 2010 Financial Sector Award at the Skills Summit’s Achiever Awards, which recognises companies, government departments and organisations that have demonstrated a commitment to advancing their employees’ skills through effective training programmes.
The academy is supported by the South African Property Owners Association, the representative body for commercial and industrial property in South Africa.
For more information visit www.nedbank.co.za, or email Joanne Isaacs at joannei@nedbank.co.za