Building girls’ confidence for their future lives

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Quality time: Daughters of some of the staff at Metrofile spent Cell Cs Take Girl Child to Work Day at the office with their parents.

Workplace Staff

Metrofile Records Management once again hosted 20 matrics in the annual Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day project.

The idea is to give girls the confidence to make informed decisions that can lead to a potentially advantageous future career.

The theme of this year’s Take a Girl Child to Work Day was “choose your tomorrow, today”.

According to Marcelle Dengler, the human resources manager at Metrofile Records Management, it is crucial that young people are educated about their options when it comes to their future.

“Exposing them to the workplace environment is important in stimulating interest in the working world, but also to provide a sense of realisation of the aspirations and dreams for these ambitious young girls,” she says.

The company usually sources the girls from outside schools, but this year Metrofile employees were asked to bring along a daughter or relative to take part in an experience that was both informative and enriching.

“We thought it would be a great idea to include our own employees to boost morale and team spirit with the end goal of growing the Metrofile family internally,” Dengler says.

The 20 girls were asked to bring photographs and other objects they liked, to partake in a self-esteem presentation conducted by Charmaine Sheen, of the Reality Wellness Group.

They created fun hats with their objects to break the ice.

According to Sheen, building good self-esteem is critical for teenage girls about to enter the working world as it enables them to better reach their goals and dreams.

“The hat creation project allows the girls to highlight their individual strengths.

“The girls eagerly embraced the talk, causing many thought-provoking ideas for their future careers,” she says.

After the presentation, the girls were taken on a tour of Metrofile Records Management facilities where they spent a few hours in each department – including the sales department, human resources department, retention centre, call centre, and the vault.

This gave them the opportunity to speak to the employees and to find out more about their various roles and responsibilities and get a feel of the broader business environment.

“Most of these girls have never even seen a workplace before, so this is an excellent time for them to experience the working world first-hand,” says Dengler.

“The ultimate aim is to motivate them to finish their studies and pursue a fruitful career.”

After the tour, the girls were treated to a lunch with the opportunity to spend some quality time with their relatives.

“In the past, we have often received CVs from the participants, and some eventually take up positions at the company,” says Dengler.

“This year’s event was a huge and happy success.

“We certainly hope to see a few of the girls come back wanting to work here in the future.

“Metrofile is proud to support an initiative that helps young women to believe that they have the power to make a success of their lives by providing them with the opportunities to develop themselves in the workplace.”