After contending with thousands of entries from across the country, talented Engineering student, Yeshveer Manawar from the Durban University of Technology has innovatively marked his way to the list of South Africa’s top 10 finest University students, unearthed from across the country.
The top 10 was crowned at the 2019 GrandStar awards which took place at Indaba Hotel, Johannesburg, on 19 September 2019.
Chosen from the top 100 identified by the GradStar programme which is now in its fourth year, are University students that showed the best potential as the country’s future leaders. Students were assessed on multiple academic, personality and behavioural tests consisting of problem-solving, team-building and leadership tests by assessment providers, namely 3C Leadership, employers and universities.
The rigorous four stage assessment ultimately decided on the top 10 based on their skills and readiness for the workplace. Engineering student Yeshveer Manawar said being selected as one of the top 10 Finest students in the country feels surreal “I am so humbled and grateful to be considered as one of the top 10 students in South Africa and I am very excited for the possibilities this programme has opened up for me. I hope to be able to make beneficial contributions to this country in the future,” said Manawar.
Furthermore, he shared his gained experiences which he regards as boundless. He said networking opportunities were endless and growth was promoted from every angle for the next generation of leaders to learn from.
“We were privileged to meet numerous professionals in various aspects of the business environment. Networking and creating strong friendships with the top 100 students and some of the greatest minds in the country was a priceless experience,” he said.
The GradStar programme is a uniquely developed programme that focuses on quality connections, and compliments existing employer programmes. It is designed to provide previously unrecognised students with opportunities for employment and allow them to contribute positively to South Africa’s future growth.
The GradStar competition process is designed to emulate the process that top employers use to find their future talent, and uses behavioural testing and personal interviewing amongst other methods as measurement tools.
The process of the programme allows students to familiarise themselves with the formal graduate programme application process, and enables them to identify their own strengths and weaknesses along the way. The GradStar programme is made possible by headline sponsor Absa and employer sponsors Accenture, DHL, Epiroc and Fasken, and is set up by BlackBark Productions (creators of the Rising Star Awards).
Additionally, amongst the top 100 students identified in the GrandStar programme were
four other DUT students from various faculties, namely Helper Zhou, who is looking to obtain his PhD in Entrepreneurial and Management Studies, Nikita Singh, a Btech in Chemical Engineering student, Sboniso Ngcobo, who is studying towards his Btech in Food and Nutrition and Zama Dabula, who is studying towards her Diploma in Human Resource Management.
Pictured: DUT Engineering student, Yeshveer Manawar and Human Resource Professional Naledi Mokoena at the GrandStar awards.
Nomfundo Ngcobo
