Nandy Klaas is a corporate quality administrator at Comair. She told workplace how she overcame tribulations – including a stroke that paralysed her left side – to secure employment.
What does your job entail?
I am responsible for the administration work of the corporate quality department of Comair. I organize meetings, including minutes and record-keeping, and manage the audit schedule. I have also been tasked with keeping our BEE records updated so that there are no documents missing when we do verification.
Describe a typical day.
My day start with making sure that all equipment and documents required are available. I use a computer program to help me achieve my objectives. Everything is documented and easy to follow.
What are your biggest challenges?
The biggest challenge for me was to acclimatize to the work processes and computer programs used in this department. The learning curve has been quite steep. I had to learn the aviation industry’s phonetic alphabet, for example, and underwent on-the-job learning to understand quality management properly.
And the biggest rewards?
The biggest thrill was to get to the plane for the first time in my life. Flying was something I had always thought was beyond my reach. I find the environment very interesting. My mentor, Sherylene Patel, has helped me wherever possible to achieve my goals and to find my way around the complicated airport environment.
What is your background?
I matriculated from a rural boarding school in 1989, and found my first job in 1992 as a scullery maid at a hotel. After that I worked as a waitress and a sales consultant. I stopped working when I suffered a stroke in 2007 that left me partially paralysed and needing extensive therapy, medication and surgery. I will always be grateful for the support of my family and friends during that difficult period.
A doctor at Joburg Hospital told me about the Services Seta learnerships available at Boston City Campus and Business College. She pointed out that some cater for people with disabilities. I applied, and after the assessment tests I got selected for the business administration learnership. Boston City Campus and Business College organized an interview for an on-the-job training opportunity at Comair.
I started working there in June 2010. In December, I was offered a one-year contract. I am very grateful to Comair for giving me this incredible opportunity and treating me so well.
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