Services SETA partners with Mpumalanga Department of Education for five-day Career Expo in Nkangala District, providing learners with opportunities to learn about career pathways, subject choices, skills development and post-school options.
The programme commenced with Services SETA calling at L.D. Moetanalo Secondary School and Sozama Secondary School, for an interactive career guidance programme targeting Grade 9 learners.
Day 1 of career guidance addressed learners’ understanding of the relationship between the decisions they make in high school and the impact it has on their post-school options.
Grade 9 learners begin exploring career options
As far as the learners concerned, the day’s agenda allowed learners to start considering their options at a time in their schooling when important decisions need to be made.
Career planning and related guidance is particularly valuable to Grade 9 learners, who must make critical decisions regarding subject choices in school.
Those attending the sessions were exposed to the importance of considering future interests and possible career options before finalising an important decision relating to subjects.
This information is vital as it ensures that learners who might choose subjects without considering those career options are aware that the decision has implications for their post-school choices.
Understanding the role of SETAs
Services SETA also took the opportunity to educate students in attendance on how Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) play a role in the skills-development ecosystem.
While many learners know what a SETA is associated with – the advertising of learnerships – the Career Expo is designed to broaden the understanding of its operations within South Africa’s skill development arena.
Learners also gained an awareness of the various career pathways alongside the necessary skills development that can be pursued following school, including university, TVET colleges, occupational studies and other post-school options, depending on the learner’s career intention.
Making better subject choices
Subject choices in school has a direct impact on a learner’s post-school options.
Students who have a tentative idea about the occupations they might wish to pursue after school have the option of researching the subjects that will be prescribed for those qualifications before making their decisions.
However, learners who are unsure about a particular career direction can turn to the resources offered in the sessions as an aid in their decision making, ensuring that no decisions are made based purely on peer pressure, family influences or social trends.
A learner’s career plan needs to be formulated according to their own merits, their abilities and the expectations of the proposed career pathway.
Government opportunities form part of the discussion
The Career Expo is also opportune in creating awareness of government opportunities for tertiary education and training.
For the learners involved, the knowledge is useful as it enables them to understand the different sets of supports that become available in their education and career development at various stages in the system.
It is important to understand, however, that while learners are informed of the existence of a opportunity – for example, a bursary, learning or employment programme of some sort – that does not automatically mean a candidate qualifies for that opportunity.
Each learnership, bursary or other opportunity requires its own unique set of criteria and application process to qualify.
Four days of the expo remain
The first day was only the launch of this five-day initiative, and Services SETA is expected to continue its engagement with learners across the Nkangala District over the next four days.
Such programmes are valuable in exposing a larger body of learners to important career-related information and providing them with the opportunity to ask the questions they need answered before making an important decision about their subjects or post-school direction.
The benefit of taking a programme like this into a school is that it reaches learners who might not otherwise have those questions answered or an opportunity to speak directly with someone about their options.
Why career guidance should start early
Planning a career does not need to commence in Grade 12.
Learners who begin this process early will find that the time provided allows for more in-depth research into their options, making the comparison of different educational institutions and the understanding of the requirements of those occupations more feasible.
Appropriate career guidance allows learners to:
Explore various occupations.
Understand occupation/subject relationships.
Research university and TVET options.
Learn about vocational/occupational training.
Determine financing options
Develop an education plan
Make decisions based on reliable information.
The purpose here is to empower learners with information as opposed to dictating decisions.
The expo is not an application drive
Learners and parents should take heed that no information made available regarding Day 1 indicates a new learnership, bursary, internship or employment opportunity provided by Services SETA.
Nothing in this information includes stipends applicable, a closing date for applications, qualification requirements or the number of places being offered.
The Career Expo is therefore not an application drive, even though learners might perceive the event as a launching pad for a new employment option.
What learners should do after receiving career guidance
Students who find out about an occupation that interests them should take it upon themselves to independently research those requirements, including what qualifications would be needed for the work, which institutions provide those qualifications and whether any school choices need to be considered before making those choices.
In addition, learners must ensure that the information from at least more than one reliable source is used before making the important decision.
Learners’ parents and guardians can also use their involvement for this process as a conversation starter, promoting healthy awareness of their options beyond the first year of schooling rather than making unilateral decisions from the outset.
A broader view of post-school education
One of the most interesting aspects of this Career Expo is its role in demystifying the fact that there is no one size fits all in terms of post-school education.
While some learners find that university is their best option, that choice does not necessarily apply to everyone, and those who find that an occupation-specific skills development programme is a better fit must ensure that they understand the nature of what will be required of them to pursue that path.
Such awareness can empower learners to make an informed choice in Grade 9 in the same way that someone who understands how occupational studies might meet their needs might decide that a TVET institution offering such courses would be a more viable option for their circumstances.
Source
Source: Services SETA — information supplied regarding the five-day Career Expo being held in partnership with the Mpumalanga Department of Education in the Nkangala District.
Editorial policy
This article was independently written for South African readers using the information supplied as its factual basis. The information provided adds relevant contextual content to support informed decision-making, addressing the value and benefits of the programme without inventing programme details that could mislead the reader.
No stipend amounts, application deadlines, eligibility requirements or employment guarantees have been invented.
Disclaimer
The Career Expo is an educational and career guidance initiative. Participation does not guarantee admission into a training programme, bursary, learnership, internship, or job. Specific opportunities that may be mentioned during the expo may have unique eligibility criteria and application processes. Learners and parents should confirm those details by consulting official sources.
Learner awareness
Learners must be wary of those who claim to offer guaranteed Services SETA opportunities in exchange for money or personal information.
Never pay for guaranteed selection. Always verify learnerships, bursaries, internships and other education opportunities with official channels before submitting any information.
