Chemical engineer, Veeash Oomardath, is currently in a technical role at Tronox KZN Sands. He took up the Management Development Programme in 2021 to help him with the next steps in his career, and won a Top Achievers/Director’s Award within it. “My current day-to-day duties do not really involve the management of people. But if I look at my future career path, the next role I would take up is that of a plant manager.”

“Enrolling in the programme, I was mainly looking to gain a solid foundation in the principles of management. I could then use these in my normal duties at work, as well as within my future roles in the company. Doing the Management Development Programme gave me a good structure of the principles of management, and I have found that I am already applying many of the concepts in my current position to improve the conduct of my current duties.”

Apart from furthering his own career, he was also motivated by the variety of topics that were covered in the programme itself. “I’ve always been fascinated by factors that affect the market in South Africa. I sometimes dabble in the stock markets and other financial instruments. As such, I really looked forward to learning the concepts of economics, which were presented in the Management Development Programme, before we started.”

Going into the programme, Veeash found that it took a different approach to what he thought it would. “Initially, I expected this to be a lecture-based course where you would get a lecturer coming in and talking about topics. However, this was not the case. The experience exceeded my expectations. The modules were very interactive, which I enjoyed.”

“The broad backgrounds of my fellow classmates in the course were very interesting and allowed for important networking opportunities with individuals from different companies – which I found was absolutely invaluable. It gave me a different perspective on how things are done in other organisations and allowed me to bounce ideas off of people in other companies during the breakaway sessions. This, as an example, presented several incredible learning opportunities in and of itself – in addition to the programme syllabus.”

While being immersed in a new group of people was one of Veeash’s highlights, he found that his improved understanding of management positions can now prepare him for them in ways he hadn’t thought of. “This programme taught me how to better deal with people in my job, and I gained a new understanding of several business concepts and strategies. The module on economics gave me a broader view of how the world economic systems work and affect my organisation. I’ve learned to look at the broader picture from the organisation to the contextual environment too, which I found fascinating.”

“I have also started to take a broader view on leadership. I don’t only look from the organisation, but also from the transactional and contextual environment. I now look at things more strategically. In terms of working with people, the module on developing leadership competency was extremely enlightening to me. It helped me learn more about conflict management within the team and demonstrated how to build an effective team. In particular, the people management concepts have helped me to better manage the various personalities in the team. And even though I do not currently work as a manager, I have found that when standing in for other managers in the department, I am now more confident in the role after completing the Management Development Programme.” 

Tailored for all managers from any industry, the Management Development Programme empowers managers to reinforce their managerial skill sets and business acumen while facilitating integration across various business units. The programme helps managers to demonstrate leadership competence through a heightened sense of curiosity and a willingness to drive a culture of innovation, learning, and continuous improvement while promoting diversity and employee engagement through an improved understanding of leadership and human resources management practices. The Management Development Programme is packed with material that focuses on broadening one’s self-awareness and leadership attributes while enhancing the necessary managerial skills required in the ever-changing business environment. For further information about upcoming courses, click here.