Cape Town - An education organisation has welcomed the City of Cape Town’s career expo in community libraries, but urged that the initiative be continuous and not a once off exercise.
The City will host a series of career expo’s through local libraries to assist learners, patrons, unemployed youth and those interested in making an informed career choice, as part of the city’s inclusive economic growth strategy.
Stacey Jacobs, a researcher at Equal Education (EE) said Equal Education welcomed the City’s announcement.
She said it is great to see that these career expos will be hosted in communities where unemployment is rife, including Khayelitsha, Philippi East and Lotus River.
“Learners stand to benefit from these expos in several ways. For example, it provides learners with an opportunity to understand the application of their skillset beyond their basic education and learn about additional skills that they may need to develop to further their studies in their respective fields of interest or to find employment in specific industries. Learners are further able to receive career advice from professionals in various industries that they are interested in that may greatly inform and inspire them,” she said.
Jacobs said that while accessible career expo’s are essential to informing and empowering learners to take steps towards securing their futures, it is critical that learners are not forgotten about throughout their schooling journey.
“It is important this initiative is not once-off or ad hoc but a continuous intervention to assist learners from working-class and marginalised communities, mostly attending no-fee public schools, in the province who often do not have access to in-school career guidance like their affluent and private counterparts. Initiatives like these are important to ensure young people have a better understanding of the needed skills for full participation in the economy,” she said.
The career expo’s will take place during March and May and the objective is to make choosing a career fun, informative and accessible. The city said that the attendees will have access to a variety of speakers and institutions.
Mayco member for community services and health Patricia van der Ross said that career expos were a fun way to get the information you needed to make the best decision about future employment.
“More than free career advice, the expos are a chance to practise your interview skills and provide networking opportunities. Learners are exposed to occupations they may not be aware of or haven’t considered,” she said.
MEC of Education David Maynier said he encouraged schools and learners to make use of the opportunity, and to be inspired by the variety of post-school career options available to them in the Western Cape.