SA’s Rachel Kobo named one of 50 best apprentices at VW

4th January 2021 By: Irma Venter - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

SA’s Rachel Kobo named one of 50 best apprentices at VW

VWSA MD Dr Robert Cisek, Rachel Kobo and Thabo Nkoane

Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) employee Rachel Kobo has been named ‘Best Apprentice’ – a title given to only a handful of top young talent across the Volkswagen group.

Kobo was among 50 young men and women worldwide to be chosen to receive this accolade, which recognises outstanding performance from young employees within the German car manufacturer.

This group was selected out of a total of 7 000 apprentices. 

The awards, which are normally presented during a ceremony in Wolfsburg, Germany, were instead handed over to each recipient in their home country owing to Covid-19 restrictions.

Kobo, 28, joined VWSA as a graduate in February, 2019, and currently works as a component engineer in the Uitenhage-based product engineering division.

“From when I first heard in 2019 that there was a Best Apprentice award, I knew I wanted to earn that title,” says Kobo. “To me, this award means that my commitment and efforts are being recognised. It’s a great first step for me to keep improving and set my bar higher every time.”

“We are very proud of Rachel for receiving this accolade and being named one of the top talents in the group,” adds VWSA human resources director Thabo Nkoane.

“As a company we invest in talented, deserving graduates through our graduate trainee programmes. This award serves as proof that such programmes are crucial for nurturing their talent and developing dedicated employees and future leaders.”