January 2021
We're delighted to report on another one of our bursary recipients who benefited from the Foundation's bursary programme about 10 years ago. We remain in contact with the candidates and follow their career journey beyond the programme. Today we're introducing Yandiswa Tshixo.
Yandiswa's parents work on Timberlea farm - a grower partner that ptoduced for Waitrose under the BlueJay brand. The farm is located outside Stellenbosch in the Western Cape. Yandiswa was recommended for the bursary programme by Marian Jeffery, wife of Roy Jeffery (owners of Timberlea).
Yandiswa entered the programme in 2011 while she was in Grade 8 and she completed her schooling through to Grade 12. In 2016 she took a gap year to work at a Caltex garage nearby and then applied to Tsiba Education in 2017 to do her Higher Certificate in Business Administration. All throughout this time Yandiswa had regular contact with Raymond Engelbrecht, our Waitrose Foundation Manager - Farm Support, who became a mentor to her.
In 2018 Yandiswa qualified to do her degree in Business Administration and is currently busy with her internship at Smollan Leading Retail Solutions in Observatory. Smollan has various corporate clients including Unilever, Tigerbrands, Parmalat, Pioneer Foods, Heineken, Premier Foods, Mondelez and Diegeo. Yandiswa is working within the Unilever business unit and currently shadowing the Field Managers. She started as a merchandiser, then went to Field Marketing and now busy in the Field Manager function.
"It has been a really great experience and a wonderful learning journey." says Yandiswa. We are every excited about her future career path and will most certainly stay in contact.
