Why My Future, My Career Expo?

It’s an undeniable fact that science, technology, engineering, maths and innovation, subjects collectively known as STEMI subjects and finance are critical catalysts for any nation’s economic prosperity and development as they create a pipeline for crucial careers that have all the elements to grow the economy. Yet today, most South African learners underperform in maths and science subjects. That is why we have an inadequate pipeline of learners in those subjects.

South Africa, therefore, has to actively promote and prioritise increasing the number of learners proficient in these vital fields through partnerships.

The damage Bantu education visited on black South is enormous and will take seismic efforts to roll back.  By accessing proper career guidance, our learners get an opportunity to be guided to understand the scarce skills that the country badly need sand further increase the pool of engineers, accountants, scientists, mathematicians and IT professionals.

Future Skills and Jobs

Our prosperity as a nation depends on our ability to take full advantage of rapid technological change. This means that we urgently need to develop our capabilities in the areas of science, technology and innovation. The drive towards the digital industrial revolution will be underpinned by the availability of efficient networks.

We’re in the age of the pervasive influence of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence and need responsive skills and investment to benefit fully as a country to help grow our economy.

The absorption of the majority of young people in the workplace coming from our tertiary institutions will depend on how we respond to the 4IR in preparing young people for future jobs though guiding them to choose the right careers… today.

Services

  • Offer career guidance and counselling based on current information and motivational and industry insight talks.
  • Assist learners to apply for bursaries, access learnerships, internships and apprenticeships.
  • Facilitate the graduate/learner and industry interface which will hopefully provide a catchment opportunity for the industry as well as raduates/learners.
  • Inculcate the culture of entrepreneurship and financial education among young people.
  • Engage in dialogue with a boy-child – the focus is on social wellness designed to enable and empower the boy-child in the fight against gender violence, domestic violence and femicide.

Career Awareness

Choosing a career

Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions that you will make in your life.  Although most people make several career
changes in their lifetime, the first career decision you make will have an impact on various aspects of your life. It will, for example,
determine the direction in which you will develop skills, the type of organisation in which you will start working and the income that
you will earn.

With colleges and universities offering numerous courses today, for students it is truly confusing making a career choice.  For a student, choosing a career path that is far from ones’ interest and ability can cause dissatisfaction in the long run.  Hence it is important to plan one’s career from a long term perspective.

How does career planning happen today?

  • Most often students choose careers based on other’s preferences be it:
  • Following the crowd (peers)
  • Accepting choices made by parents
  • Influence by media
  • Following current trends or availing the most sought after career opportunities.

Scarce Skills

Scarce skills refer to a shortage of people with the required attributes to fill positions available in the labour market. The attributes
that employers are seeking when they try to fill positions in their organisations are specifically important. These may be qualifications, specific skills and experience, a specific race or gender or a combination of these attributes.

Scarce skills are normally expressed in terms of the occupations for which there are not enough candidates available. Scarce skills in the financial services sector are mainly in the professional and technician and associated professional occupations. Although these occupational categories are experiencing above average growth, the shortages are often related to very special skills sought by employers. The lack of qualified black people, especially in the higher level occupations and professional designations, is considered a serious problem.

Check the Sector Skills Plan of different Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA’s) for critical and scarce skills.