Diepsloot careers
expo
meets its mark
A WORLD of opportunity was opened to school pupils in Diepsloot at the Careers Expo held in the township, at which government departments and tertiary institutions manned information stands.
May 10, 2005
By Ndaba Dlamini
MCEBO Nzima has always dreamt of flying one of the military jets that he has seen zooming high above him. After a chat with a military consultant at the Career Expo at the Diepsloot Youth Centre, the grade 12 pupil says he is ready to serve his country as an airforce pilot.
The careers exhibition was organised by the City of Johannesburg library and information services department for Region 1. Nzima, who attends Iterele-Zenzele High School in Diepsloot, said he came to the expo to get more information about joining the airforce.
"When I heard that there was going to be a career expo at the youth centre from my teacher, I was ecstatic because I did not have a clue how to go about applying for a post as a pilot in the airforce. The soldier who attended to us was very helpful and gave me forms to fill in so that I can join the force," Nzima said.
The University of the Witwatersrand, Tshwane University of Technology, the Anne Latsky Nursing College, Damelin, the Departments of Defence, Labour and Education and a variety of tertiary and professional institutions had stands at the expo, which was open on 6 and 7 May.
A representative manning the South African National Defence Forces stand, Major Ngema, said that the response from school pupils had been tremendous.
"I am here representing the South African Air Force, the South African Army, the Navy and the South African Military Health Services," he said. "I have been kept on my toes since morning attending to learners from different schools around Diepsloot. Most of them are interested in joining the airforce and the least appealing career seems to be the navy. Very few learners came to find out more about this department."
The military stand had forms to be filled in by applicants that outlined the requirements to join the military. "An interesting number of girls also showed a willingness to join the SA army. People must know that the army needs women as well," Ngema said.
Edward Maseko, another grade 12 pupil from Iterele-Zenzele, said he wanted to become an engineer and the career expo was a stepping stone to achieving his goal.
"I have been to one of the tertiary institutions exhibiting here to enquire about engineering courses. They gave me brochures to read so that I can choose the right courses. With hard work, I think I am going to design and build cars one day."
Another exhibitor, Pretoria's The Design School for Southern Africa, offered students an "artistic career in graphic design". The school's Seefane Maratji said the college had attended the expo to expose people from disadvantaged communities to careers in graphic design, interior design, photography and art and design.
"Most people want to become doctors and we are here to offer them a different career altogether. To most learners that we attended to, graphic design was novel but most showed genuine interest."
Two school leavers, Eunice Makgopa and Sibusaphi Ngobese from Diepsloot Number 2, hoped the careers exhibition would help them find jobs - they have been fruitlessly searching for work for two years.
"We heard about the career expo from the Joint Enrichment Project, a project that provides neglected and underserved young people education and employment opportunities. It was handing out pamphlets and we jumped at the opportunity to attend. Maybe this is the opportunity we have been waiting for," said Makgopa.
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