“What I have is a dream, but I’ll make it a reality” – Sikelela Malawu
Sikelela Malawu is the managing director of Ulwimi Lwenkobe SBM.
He is also a Boston City Campus graduate who used the skills and knowledge gained in the Higher Certificate to further advance his company and his own prospects. We chatted with him to learn more about what he does.
Sikelela says that he chose the work he does because as a career “it is one in which I feel so happy. Everyone I know who works in this career has said how happy they are in their work. I have always found a certain satisfaction in language and helping students and knew I wanted to make a career in this field.”
Aside from the qualification attained at Boston, Sikelela also attended the Workshop of Battle of the Municipalities talent search at ICC hotel in East London.
He holds by the Boston pay-off line: Education. For life.
On a day to day basis, “my typical job responsibilities involve mentoring students in understanding their home language better, making sure all students who have skills to write books, poems and short stories are noted and promoted and ensuring executives regularly receive all their necessary reports, records and documents. I also work to keep myself and the executive team informed of any important company information. I do this by using my advanced typing skills to take notes regularly throughout all meetings and create minutes for other staff members.”
Being so busy, what does Sikelela enjoy the most about his job?
“The best part of my job is the opportunity to constantly learn and grow. I’m exposed to new challenges regularly, which helps me develop both professionally and personally.” And what does he enjoy the least? “The thing I like least about my job right now is the limited resources to advance and promote the company. It’s a great organisation and I’ve learned a lot here, but it’s such a small company that it’s difficult to find ways to move up.”
Sikelela believes that the three important qualities one requires as a manager are:
- Deep integrity
- Humility
- People engagement skills
When asked to describe his job in one sentence the entrepreneurial manager said this, “I give Students the resources they need to help them become want they want to be when they grow up”.
The type of personality that would enjoy a job such as this are the analytical personality type, someone very deep and thoughtful. Serious and purposeful individuals, analytical types set very high-performance standards, both personally and professionally.
Sikelela is accustomed to challenges, but some are worse than others!
“One of the biggest work challenges I’ve overcome happened at my last event. The catering and prizes sponsor pulled out on the last minute, a day before the event. I fell behind and knew I couldn’t keep up in finding such sponsor in one day so I asked individuals for help. We came up with a solution that involved individuals bringing food from their households and getting temporary help from another people.
The experience taught me a lot in terms of communication and problem solving, and I think I’m even better prepared for the next problem or challenge I’ll face since I overcame that previous obstacle despite it feeling hopeless initially.”
Sikelela has advice for grade 11 and 12 learners. “it’s important to consider your soft skills when choosing this career, such as time management, interpersonal relations, communication, public speaking and listening. Also, adopt a mindset of lifelong learning. And keep in mind that further studies and having relevant courses and certifications in this field on your resume indicates that you are more qualified than other candidates for this position or promotion.”
So would Sikelela recommend Boston as a place to get these skills and qualifications?
“Boston City Campus is a rigorous institution and its academic environment pushes and challenges its students to become well rounded and high achieving people. The community is quite large, yet surprisingly simultaneously small enough to be able to meet a lot of people and have mutual friends. I highly recommend it.”
