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Bayeza: turning interns into future leaders

In its sixth year, Boomtown has taken on five graduates to expose them to the magic of the ad world, and mould them into outstanding, employable advertising professionals.

Bayeza started in 2012 with one graphic design intern, Pola Maneli. A talented individual who has gone on to win two gold Loeries went on to work for one of the best advertising agencies in South Africa, and subsequently talent that has come through the Bayeza has risen through the Boomtown ranks. The most senior ‘Boomer’ being Gerard Addison who has grown from intern to art director.

Today Boomtown celebrates its next five interns as they begin their advertising career:

Brandon Chakarisa, is a great addition to the graphic design team. Zimbabwean born, he has studied Design at Nelson Mandela University. I enjoy illustrations and animations as I feel they possess an interesting sense of creativity not normally found in the world around us. I enjoy learning new things so I am always trying to learn things that interest me and inspire me. I want to use my experience at Boomtown to help me grow more as a designer and illustrator and help further my appreciation for learning the beneficial potential that lies in the impacts of illustration and design on or daily lives.

 Ayabonga (Aya) LalendleI is another graphic design intern, and has a Diploma in Media and Graphic Design from Damelin. He hopes that one day his creativity will better the lives of many, and “propel the African renaissance to unimaginable heights”. Talking about his  design work and illustrations he says: “I hope my work helps reshape and re-envision South Africa, helping the generations that follow me to challenge the status quo and to constantly try and re-imagine the world they live in.”

 Misubukhosi Pienaar has a marketing qualification from Nelson Mandela University and an Applied Communications Management qualification from the University of Fort Hare, and joins the client services team. “I have a huge interest is exploring humanity and understanding what drives human behaviour, and I am excited to apply the theory learnt in lecture halls into the real world. The marketing and advertising industry is competitive and the time I spend with Boomtown is going to give me a leg-up,” remarks Misubukhosi.

 Sinethemba Soldati joins the client service team and is currently finalizing his postgrad (Btech) degree in Marketing Management at Nelson Mandela University. Talking about the industry, Sinethemba says: “I’ve always been interested in advertising and I cannot wait to learn more about advertising and marketing as career, and to sharpen my skills. My dream role is to become a strategist, I enjoy conceptualising and bringing ideas to life, and spending time with the strategy team at Boomtown is going to be a highlight of my internship.”

Portia Tambo is part of the support services team, and hopes to use the Bayeza internship to allow herself to grow in ways she never thought possible. Portia aims to complete studies in Public Administration and Communication Science from UNISA, she says: “I want to keep studying and learning and along the way find my strengths and be the best I can be in my career.”

How Bayeza works

Rather than running an internship program where individuals are seen as junior staff, Boomtown runs a specific year-long program with each intern having month by month modules specific to their area of expertise and study. “In this way, we fast track the interns, and they learn more in one year than most junior employees learn in two,” adds Boomtown MD, Andrew MacKenzie.

This specific training also makes the interns highly sort after from an employment perspective and Boomtown is tremendously proud that to date it has achieved a 100% success rate in employment once the interns graduate from Bayeza. “We have employed the majority of these individuals as part of our growth strategy, and others have gone on to be part of reputable companies across South Africa,” says MacKenzie. “The program is also differentiated in that it is not a “free from pay” internship. Each is salaried over and above the dedicated and specific training they receive.”

The Bayeza program not only answers to the needs of our business and a concerted effort to build on our employment equity but also responds to the drive around skills development and more importantly, is changing the lives of the individuals who complete the program immeasurably.

Caption: L to R: Ayabonga LalendleI, Misubukhosi Pienaar, Portia Tambo, Sinethemba Soldati, Brandon Chakarisa