How One UCT Alumni Helps Graduates Navigate the Changing World of Work
Successful entrepreneur and UCT graduate, David Buckham, knows talent when he sees it. For this reason, the CEO of specialist consultancy firm, Monocle Solutions, decided to partner with UCT Careers Service to help give back to UCT students who he believes are the best graduates in South Africa.
Although Monocle has partnered with UCT Careers Service for the past few years by participating in various programmes such as the FLUX entrepreneurship business game, this year the company continued its support of UCT graduates by becoming the platinum sponsor of the Epic Job Expo, which takes place at the UCT Sports Centre on 8 August.
The expo combines five (5) second-semester expos into one, with over 100 exhibitors offering career opportunities such as graduate programmes, bursaries, internships or opportunities to work abroad. The event will offer an all-day, first-come-first-served CV Lab, a Job Wall with exhibitors’ latest opportunities as well as 7 TED-style talks from industry experts such as Buckham, who will speak to what the future of work will be like for graduates.
“The partnership began in earnest when Monocle Solutions decided two years ago to partner specifically with UCT, as Monocle believed that they were, and are, producing the best quality graduates in South Africa.”
“In the past, Monocle has assisted with FLUX events, as well as with mock interview events, and the professionalism which the UCT Careers Service office has shown towards Monocle has been unique in the market. Monocle, therefore, wished to make the partnership more formal,” he says.
Buckham has degrees in both mathematics and literature and has been fascinated by how the way the latter shapes minds. An admirer of the French philosopher, Albert Camus, he ensures that graduates who participate in his company’s graduate programmes read prescribed books and write reviews.
“Monocle’s graduate programme focuses on four major aspects. Firstly, Monocle believes that there is some fundamental learning that needs to be undertaken by graduates coming into the consulting world. Monocle believes that there are fundamental concepts that are not taught at university that need to be conveyed, understood and tested, and so there is a very strong focus in the Monocle programme on improving subject matter expertise in banking, insurance and the financial industry in general.”
“Secondly, Monocle believes that people should possess hard skills, particularly programming skills, data manipulation skills and data analysis skills, as well as a sound statistical understanding. Thirdly, we believe professionals should possess a strong ability to communicate clearly, in both writing and in spoken word, and Monocle, therefore, spends a significant amount of time cultivating this skill, by having our graduates write book reviews, for example. This is a key skill in the consulting world.”
“The fourth aspect is critical thinking. Monocle believes that across all generations – and not only in this generation – there exists a lack of critical thinking skills. People must learn to apply their minds critically to what they hear or read, so that they are not swayed as easily as the masses on important issues. This is an aspect of Monocle’s programme that is unique and that involves us teaching and testing the ability to critically question different bodies of text, or the spoken word, or even art and music. Critical thinking is not only useful to graduates working at Monocle, but is an important general life skill,” says Buckham.
Monocle will have its Monocle Quarterly Journal available at its expo stand, which this quarter focuses on the future world of work. The journal shows Monocle’s understanding of the graduates who enter the workplace at present and hopes to provoke their thinking.
“It will hopefully lead them to question what type of world of work they want to exist in,” he says.
For more information on the Epic Job Expo, visit http://www.careersfest.uct.ac.za
Join David Buckham at his TED-style talk titled "What does the future world of work look like" at the Epic Job Expo, on the 8 August 2018 at UCT Sports Centre at 1pm.