Dennis Kamindu is a University of Nairobi alumnus. He studied BSc. Electrical and Information Engineering and graduated in September 2018 with a Second Class Upper division. While in Campus, Dennis was involved in various activities, but the most significant was at ‘The Journey UoN’ where he was a member of the band. Here is where he nurtured my guitar skills, improved my social skills, and formed friendship bonds that have lasted till today.

Dennis joined Huawei through a graduate management trainee recruitment drive that was held at the University of Nairobi in June 2018. At that moment, we were doing our final year projects. He applied for a position at the company and they responded by inviting me for an interview.

There were about 87 of us at the interview stage. The interview itself was held in three separate levels (Group interview, Technical interview & Final interview), on the same day and at each level, some of us got eliminated. A few weeks later, he got mail that he had successfully passed the interview stage and was offered one of the positions available.

The graduate management trainee program itself was quite unique. The first month was an in-class training, done and facilitated by a vast team of experts in their various fields. After each course, we did an exam to measure our understanding of the various courses. After the first month, depending on the score obtained from the exams, you were placed in the specific department in which you preferred and scored the highest. This was followed by a 4 month on job training experience. During this period, Dennis was assigned a mentor that guided me and supported me through the whole journey. The mentors assigned to all the trainees were experts with many years of experience in their respective fields.

At the end of the 4 months of on job training, there was an appraisal done based on the tasks handled. The appraisals were very objective, because these were based on results and also how much you were able to learn under your mentor. Therefore, it was very important to learn as much as possible from your mentor because during the final oral defense held in front of a panel of experts, a lot of questions would be asked based on you work experience.

After the 4 month on job training, Dennis was named one of the excellent staff and offered a position in the company. He now works for the IT Solution Sales Department in a very diverse team of experts who have given me so much support in growing my career as well as in understanding the IT product portfolio.

Dennis’s transition from campus to the Huawei workforce has been made seamless due to the hard work of a dedicated team of experts that came together to formulate a unique management trainee program that seeks to develop knowledge, social skills, communication skills and work ethics while maintaining all the unique aspects of the individual intact.

Huawei provides a very conducive environment to achieve a work life balance. For instance, there is a floor in the building dedicated for recreational purposes where employees can play indoor games. This facility also has gym equipment for physical health. Huawei also provides a platform for showcasing talent. For example in sports, we have had various tournaments in football and basketball. In other areas for example music and culture, Huawei provides platform to showcase dance, music and cultural talents. Dennis has been offered many opportunities to showcase my musical talent in various Huawei events and gatherings.

Overall, his experience in Huawei has been one of learning, multi-cultural inclusion and support for personal and career growth.