May 16, 2007
By Ndaba Dlamini
THE Gauteng Job Fair 2007 will bring together employers and students past and present who are on the lookout for internships or fulltime jobs.
A further education and training (FET) initiative, the fair's theme is "Discovering potential"; it will be held at the Ellis Park Campus of the Central Johannesburg College from 22 to 24 May. Executive Mayor Amos Masondo will launch it at a gala dinner at the City Hall on the first day of the fair.
The employment fair follows the successful FET Job Fair pilot project, launched on 30 November 2006, and is aimed at curbing the country's 25 percent unemployment rate and the high underemployment rate. It will also provide a platform for the private sector to develop and enhance partnerships with FET colleges.
A scarcity of skilled labour threatens the future economic growth of the country and the fair will look into possible solutions to the problem, according to Koki Kassaye, the event's organiser.
"We need to look at a comprehensive solution, one that addresses the immediate needs of skilled labour and an approach that sees the private sector and parastatals working hand-in-hand with education institutions such as the FET sector to arrest this issue."
Kassaye says the FET sector is virtually untapped. "Our pilot initiative last November revealed that many in the private sector and parastatal sectors are not aware of the further education and training sector. As a result, a majority of the former students from this sector are either unemployed or employed in menial jobs because their credentials are not recognised."
Prospective employers will be seeking to recruit the best candidates
Another problem facing the sector is incomplete credentials where students with certificates still require 18 months of practical work experience to get their diplomas, Kassaye explains. "With no medium to assist in securing that 18-month internship, these students have very little prospect of completing their studies and gaining their diplomas."
The Gauteng Job Fair will begin with a Career-Skills Day on 23 May for 2 000 selected students. All eight FET colleges in the province and sector education and training authorities (setas), both private and public, will be exhibiting to 1 000 selected high school learners and 1 000 selected first- and second-year FET college students.
Exhibitors will share information on FET programmes and curricula, future career opportunities and internships available to these students.
On the last day there will be a Job Fair; an entrepreneurship development exhibition will run concurrently. Exhibitors will include employers from the private and public sectors, FET colleges, public and private organisations that help entrepreneurship development and financing, and companies offering small- to medium-sized business opportunities.
The job fair is open to 2 000 selected current exit level (N6) Gauteng FET college students and those who have already graduated.
Companies wishing to participate in the fair can contact Koki Kassaye on 083 602 5936. Current N6 students at any of the eight FET colleges in Gauteng and alumni wishing to attend can contact the learner support departments at their respective colleges to get more information about registering.
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