My name is Tshireletso Lodi Langford Nkaletse, I was born in Mafikeng. I completed my BA degree in Communications at the North West University and further obtained my honours in Peace Studies and International Relations. Having completed my studies, I was on the lookout for a job. This was tougher than I had expected, and for a full year I remained unemployed until I got a call from the NWDC inviting me for an interview. The corporation was running an Internship programme for graduates to assist them in gaining experience at a corporate level. I fortunately made the cut and as a result was accepted into the programme.

The entry level post was quite fascinating. I commenced with dossier work initially as I had no other corporate experience. Although I did not fully understand the methodology behind that, I shortly realised that it was imperative that I start at the bottom. Before long I began learning the in’s and out’s of day to day business and then proceed from there.  I had to understand the way files are managed as they form one of the most crucial parts of any organization. Record keeping, as I came to understand it is not something to be taken lightly. Under the meticulous leadership of Mr Sylvester Mabuse I was taught to pay attention to detail and to never take things for granted.

As part of the internship rotation programme, I was given the opportunity to join the newly established marketing department under the guidance of the Marketing and Communications Officer Mrs Karen Landsberg. She took me under her wing and exposed me to the magnificent world of Marketing. Mrs Landsberg valued my contributions and allowed me to feel like a colleague in the ever developing task of marketing the NWDC.

Working at the NWDC made an immense contribution to my career. I began to understand the inner workings of various departments within the organisation, particularly the finance department. Marketing a company comes with the essential task of budgeting. Over expenditure is one of the risks a marketing department could incur. My time spent in the finance department however gave me an opportunity to understand number crunching and budgeting accordingly. Mr Mike Mthimunye, the Acting Chief Executive Officer supported our Department and the entire Corporation. It was a privilege working at the North West Development Corporation as it has groomed me to realise my career objectives. I am now working for the department of International Relations and Cooperations in Branch Public Diplomacy as an assistant director. With the experience I gained, I can still proudly say that I was given the opportunity to work at one of the best companies in its sphere, the NWDC.

Tshireletso Lodi Langford Nkaletse