NAMC Graduate Placement Programme

Written by Thabo MokoenaSenior Education Editor

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) is a statutory body that reports to the Minister of Agriculture. It advises on agricultural marketing, runs research on food chains and trade, and oversees statutory levies and agricultural trusts. Each year it also takes in a small group of young graduates for a 12-month Graduate Placement Programme, working at its office in Hillcrest, Pretoria, and in other provinces. The 2026/27 intake was advertised in January 2026 and has closed. NAMC has not yet published anything about the next intake.

Twelve months on an Agri-SETA stipend

Every NAMC graduate advert since 2023 describes the same basic deal: a 12-month contract with a monthly stipend “payable according to Agri-Seta rates”. The 2023 and 2024 adverts dated the placement from 1 April to 31 March, in step with NAMC’s financial year. NAMC does not print a rand figure in its adverts, so the amount depends on the rates the Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority sets for work placements at the time. Placements are not permanent jobs, and NAMC reserves the right to withdraw, change or leave any placement unfilled.

The adverts ask for graduates aged 18 to 35 who have already completed their qualification. The January 2025 advert added that applicants had to be unemployed South African citizens holding a bachelor’s degree, national diploma or N6, and that no related work experience was needed. It also encouraged people with disabilities and Indian, white and coloured graduates to apply.

The 2026/27 streams for university and TVET graduates

For 2026/27 NAMC split its call into two adverts, each with its own reference numbers. The university advert asked for:

• BSc or BCom Honours in Agriculture (Agricultural Economics), two places (GP INT001/2026);
• National Diploma in Risk Management or Internal Auditing (GP INT002/2026);
• Bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies or an LLB (GP INT003/2026).

The TVET advert first listed N Diplomas in Agribusiness Management (four places), Financial Management, Human Resources Management, Public Relations, Transport and Logistics, IT and Computer Science, and Management Assistant. Two errata followed in February 2026. The first replaced Agribusiness Management with N6 Farming Management (three places) and N6 Marketing Management (one place). The second dropped Transport and Logistics and IT and Computer Science in favour of the Financial Management and Management Assistant streams. The final TVET list was therefore Farming Management, Marketing Management, Financial Management, Human Resources Management, Public Relations and Management Assistant.

Beyond the qualification, the adverts list the skills NAMC wants to see: administration, coordination and planning, analysis, written and spoken communication, computer literacy, problem-solving and basic project management.

From emailed forms to the Simplify portal

The way NAMC takes applications has changed almost every year. In 2023 applicants emailed a CV and a job application form, quoting the reference number of the placement in the subject line. In 2025 they registered on NAMC’s talent acquisition portal. The 2026/27 call used an online form linked from the advert page, with CVs, IDs and certificates requested only from shortlisted candidates. The NAMC careers page now states that every application must go through its e-recruitment portal at namc.simplify.hr, and that emailed applications and the old paper form are no longer accepted. Expect the next graduate call to use that portal, but follow whatever the advert itself says.

Shortlisted candidates go through reference checks and qualification verification. NAMC does not send regret letters to people it did not interview. Anyone who has heard nothing three months after the closing date should treat the application as unsuccessful.

When NAMC advertises, and its bursaries

The frequently asked questions on the NAMC advertised vacancies page say that bursary opportunities and the graduate programme are advertised once a year, towards the end of the year or at the beginning of January, and that alerts are posted on that page. The last four graduate calls fit the pattern, closing on 9 February 2023, 23 February 2024, 24 January 2025 and 26 January 2026. NAMC’s most recent external bursary form on record was for 2024 studies and closed on 10 August 2023; no bursary call for 2027 studies has been published.

NAMC profiles some of its past graduates on its Graduate Placement Programme page. For recruitment questions, call 012 341 1115 or email hr@namc.co.za. If you want funding to study in this field rather than a placement after graduating, see our lists of agriculture bursaries and marketing bursaries, and the AgriSETA profile, since AgriSETA sets the stipend rates NAMC pays.

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