Naivas Graduate Trainee Programme 1st Graduation

Naivas, Kenya’s leading supermarket chain, celebrated the first graduation of its Graduate Trainee (GT) Programme, an initiative launched in 2023 to upskill fresh graduates in various retail business functions.

This milestone marks a significant step in Naivas’ mission to enhance the retail sector in Kenya by recruiting and training top talent.The GT Programme, which spans nine months, offers an intensive training experience across different parts of the retail business.

The initiative is part of the Naivas Retail Academy, aimed at fostering career paths for employees and transforming the retail industry in Kenya. Given that retail contributes 9% to Kenya’s GDP, developing future leaders in this sector is crucial for its sustained growth.

Naivas Chief of Strategy, Andreas von Paleske, highlighted the significance of the programme, stating, “Naivas wants to attract and retain the best talent in the country. Beyond this, we want to ensure that we develop career paths for our employees, and it is for this reason that we set out to create the Naivas Retail Academy with the graduate trainee (GT) program being one of its pillars. We are therefore pleased to be celebrating the first graduation in this programme, with 35 trainees becoming Naivas employees today. However, this is only the beginning, and we expect to expand this programme, including onboarding more learning institutions.”

The retail industry in Kenya has traditionally been seen as a fallback career option, but innovations such as Naivas’ Foodmarket concept have made careers in retail more attractive.

Naivas has emerged as an employer of choice, requiring expertise in fields such as finance, marketing, supply chain, and IT.

David Kimani, reflecting on the programme’s success, remarked, “A key measure of success for me is how we continue to transform the industry, and core to this is having the right people. For Naivas, a homegrown Kenyan brand, developing the next generation of leaders is an important step forward. This programme is also a testament to our commitment to ensuring that the business shall outlive all its founders.”

The GT Programme’s first graduation marks the beginning of a larger effort by Naivas to elevate the retail sector in Kenya through continued investment in talent and innovation.