DBSA Graduate Programme and Other Start with DBSA Routes

Written by Thabo MokoenaSenior Education Editor

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is a state-owned development finance institution that funds infrastructure; its learnership page names energy, ICT, transport, and water and sanitation as its sectors. Its “Start with DBSA” young talent portal lists five entry points for students and new graduates: the Graduate Programme, a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programme, an Internal Audit Programme, learnerships and a Winter School. The portal marks all five as closed, and the DBSA has not published dates for the next intake of any of them.

Two years with a business school qualification built in

The Graduate Programme is the DBSA’s main entry route and lasts 24 months. It opens with an induction of two to three weeks focused on soft skills, during which the new group meets the bank’s executive leadership and prepares a business case to present to business leaders. For the rest of the two years, graduates work in a division of the bank while completing a qualification through a business school. They can also rotate into other business functions and join a mentorship programme with an experienced staff member.

The DBSA’s “day in the life” page gives a sense of the placements, with past graduates working as credit risk, transacting credit risk, project finance, project preparation, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) trainees. Earlier graduates now work at the bank as legal, ICT and communication analysts.

Graduate Programme criteria

• South African citizenship.
• A degree completed at a South African university, applying in the final (third) year or during Honours or a Master’s. The degree must be finished before the intake starts.
• An average of 65% or more across all years of study.
• Little or no work experience: under six months.
• A qualification in accounting, finance, economics, environmental sciences, business studies, IT, law, supply chain management, a quantitative field such as mathematics, statistics or actuarial science, or the built environment.

The criteria page still refers to the 2024 intake, which suggests it has not been updated since. The DBSA does not publish the graduate salary or stipend, the business school it uses, or the qualification graduates earn.

Internal Audit Programme for auditing graduates

This 36-month programme places young auditors in the DBSA’s Internal Audit Unit with a mentor, and trains them towards two accreditations from the Institute of Internal Auditors South Africa (IIASA): Internal Audit Technician (IAT) and Professional Internal Audit (PIA). Applicants need a completed auditing degree from a South African university, an average of at least 65%, under six months of work experience and South African citizenship. Other auditing funding is listed on the auditing bursaries page.

Learnerships in the DBSA’s infrastructure sectors

DBSA learnerships run for 12 months and lead to an NQF-registered qualification delivered through the bank’s registered training providers. They cover those same four sectors. Each learner gets a mentor from the business. The learnership page’s last update says applications for 2023 have closed, and it lists no entry requirements.

Winter School and WIL

The Winter School is a four-day programme held during the winter semester break for university students in their second year or later. Participants take on assignments and meet the business. The DBSA invites students in accounting, finance, economics, environmental sciences (including GIS and energy), quantitative fields (mathematics, statistics, actuarial science) and engineering. Its page also still refers to the 2023 applications. The WIL programme is listed on the same portal as a way to “learn the ins and outs” of the bank, but the DBSA does not publish its criteria or length.

When the DBSA will next recruit

No opening date is published for any of the five programmes. The DBSA portal invites enquiries at GraduateProgramme@dbsa.org, and the programme descriptions sit on the Start with DBSA page. Students who need funding before they graduate can look at bursaries from other development finance institutions, such as the IDC bursary and the Land Bank bursary.

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