At WoW 2018, Super Group’s National SDF & Training Manager, Heidi van der Spuy, not only generated a lot of buzz by showcasing careers at Mercedes-Benz but also rewarded enthusiastic learners with an awesome job shadowing opportunity. Talk about going the extra mile! On Tuesday 12 March, Heidi’s twelve recruits got to spend a day in the life of their career heroes at Mercedes-Benz Century City.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCbDxn96jpw

Part 1: Briefing & Hot Chocolate

The day started at 08h30 sharp with tea and a briefing session in the board room. In anticipation of a busy day of experiential learning, Heidi equipped learners with emergency work-readiness kits, comprising:

  1. An elastic band, “Because we’re gonna stretch you.”
  2. A highlighter, “To help you focus.”
  3. Sticky notes, “In case you don’t have a great memory.”
  4. A popsocket, “For those Kardashian moments.”
  5. A pen, “Far mightier than the sword because you can use it to sign your life away.”


Part 2: A Guided Tour of Mercedes-Benz Century City

Fuelled by hot chocolate and muffins, learners embarked on a guided tour of operations at Mercedes-Benz Century City. After a lesson in brand building with Bianca, Cruz and Logan treated everyone to a demonstration of Merc’s latest gadgets on the AMG sales floor. Next, Warren from accounting taught learners about “Autoline!” and the importance of flexibility in the working world, and Ivan demonstrated what it takes to tweak the nuts and bolts in the workshop. Last, Heidi introduced learners to Steph (whose delicate hands make her Century City’s most sought-after technician), and Matthew escorted everyone into the depths of the biggest passenger car parts warehouse in South Africa!

Shout-out to everyone on the amazing team at Mercedes-Benz Century City. Sincere thanks for going the extra mile to engage, educate, and entertain!

Learners on the squeaky clean AMG sales floor
Learners on the squeaky clean AMG sales floor
Cruz and Logan showing off Mercedez-Benz's latest innovations
Cruz and Logan showing off Mercedez-Benz’s latest innovations
Logan explaining what skills he needs as a Sales Consultant
Logan explaining what skills he needs as a Sales Consultant
Marvelling at Merc's latest innovations
Marvelling at Merc’s latest innovations
Warren making sure our learners NEVER forget about Autoline dealer management software!
Warren making sure our learners NEVER forget about Autoline dealer management software!
Ivan introducing us to the workshop crew
Ivan introducing us to the workshop crew
Learning how Mercedes technicians diagnose and solve problems
Learning how Mercedes technicians diagnose and solve problems
Matthew on what it takes to work in the largest passenger parts warehouse in South Africa
Matthew on what it takes to work in the largest passenger parts warehouse in South Africa

Part 3: Job Shadowing & Debrief

With insight into how different teams work together at Mercedes-Benz, Heidi invited her recruits to choose their favourite departments and spend an hour of quality time learning on the job. Logan taught aspiring sales consultants how to make a pitch and populate an invoice, while Warren put a bunch of number-crunchers through their paces in the accounting department. Ivan helped two technically gifted learners grease their hands in the workshop, and Bianca challenged future marketers to design an event promotion campaign!

At the end of an action-packed day, Heidi and the Mercedes-Benz team shared their personal career journeys and offered heartfelt advice on how to find a fulfilling career. Regardless of which department they spent time in, learners arrived at the same conclusions about the world of work:

  1. Attitude is everything.
  2. You need teamwork and loyalty to succeed.
  3. No one likes doing taxes!

“I want to thank you guys for the opportunity and experience you gave to our learners. When they came back, they couldn’t stop talking about their day! As children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, they didn’t think working for a name brand like Mercedes-Benz was possible … until today! With the positive mindset they learned, I hope they’ll push themselves to achieve better Matric results next year.”

– Ms. Malahle, Life Orientation Teacher