Business and Management School
Human Resources
Assignment Report of Prisca Hafner
Global Head of Human Resources of Oerlikon Balters AG
Polytechnic of Namibia, Windhoek
March 23 - March 31, 2010
download report (pdf)
On March 23, Mrs Lydiah Wambui, Head of Human Resources Department which is part of the School of Business and Management, welcomed me for my lecture assignment in her department. She was very engaged and thanks to her help I integrated quickly into the routines of the Polytechnic life. The purpose of my assignment was twofold:
- give business oriented lectures on Human Resources topics which were agreed through conference calls before the assignment
- assess the need and interest for future assignments related to Human Resources business / topics
After introductory meetings with the key people in the HR Department and the Dean of the School of Business and Management, Mr. Kofi Boamah, I attended two classes to get a first impression on the lectures and students. Details of my lectures were discussed and final preparations made. During the following 10 days I gave presentations to 3rd and 4th year students as well as to part-time students who attend evening classes after work.
The topics addressed were:
- Human Resources Strategy & HR Processes
- Human Capital Management & Talent Development
- Performance Management
- International HR Management & Cross-cultural management
- Case Study on Human Capital Management
Particularly the part-time students took very actively part in discussions as well as the case study and asked questions or shared their views on specific topics. The majority of the students were very attentive and eager to hear about HR in the business world. It was a great pleasure to work with them as well as with the lecturers who stirred the discussions if students were too shy to ask. This was sometimes the case with 3rd and 4th year students as they had not yet the opportunity to gain work experience in HR. However, over the several days they started to become more confident, which made the interaction with them even more interesting.
During my assignment I also had the opportunity to experience the Career Fair which is organized once a year at the Polytechnic. The set up is similar to those in Europe. It was obvious that the future graduates will meet a challenging situation once they start looking for a job. Therefore they need the best possible preparation for this during their studies, through local and international internships and through exposure to the business world during research projects.
One other highlight during the stay was meeting many interesting senior members of the Polytechnic. I had very engaged discussions on a variety of business and cultural topics with Dr. Tjama Tjivikua, Rector and Dr. Gert Guenzel, Vice-Rector as well as Mrs Neavera Olivier, Head of Planning and International Relations, and of course Mrs Lydiah Wambui. These reached from performance management, international management to strategic aspects of Human Resources and so on. I was impressed by the strategic mindset and the engagement of all individuals to contribute to the development of the Polytechnic and hence a better education breadth and width in Namibia.
This assignment has been a truly broadening experience both in terms of culture and getting insight into the challenging environment for graduates in Namibia. I hope that during my lectures and the many discussions and interactions I was able to contribute something – even if only marginally – to enable the students to succeed in their future careers.
Great thanks go the Mrs Lydia Wambui and Mrs Neavera Olivier, they were wonderful hosts and reliable partners. A special thank you also to Dr. Tjama Tjivikua, who is a strong supporter of the education partnership program and a visionary leader of the Polytechnic. I am looking forward to keeping in touch.
Horgen, April 18, 2010