Although South Africa’s unemployment rate fell from 27,5% to 27,1% in the fourth quarter of 2018, it remains high. According to Statistics South Africa, there are about 6 million unemployed people in the country. A November 2018 report conducted by the Department of Labour shows there is a growing demand for graduates in the workplace. Basing its findings on a combination of online and newspaper advertisements, the department found that a total of 38.6% of jobs advertised in 2017/18 required people with a degree or diploma.
Helping Students Transition into the Working World
Geotab Africa recently attended the Monash South Africa
Career Fair in order to assist and equip soon-to-be graduates with knowledge that will help them to transition into the working world. The Monash Career Fair, hosted at the university, showcased numerous companies from various industries in order to meet its goal of bringing together employers and students. Students from different fields of study such as social sciences and finance attended the event to learn and get to know more about the career opportunities available to them in each company.
Geotab’s Experience at the Career Fair
Going into the fair, we did not really anticipate the student turn out and reception. This is largely due to the fact that students are often nervous and are not usually sure on the type of questions they need to ask companies when they go into a career fair. Instead, our booth was a real buzz from the beginning to the end of the fair, as we received overwhelming response and support from students interested to learn about our career offers. The Geotab staff engaged with students pursuing qualifications in engineering, public health, accounting, and international relations just to name a few. The students were prepared, free and asked many questions not only on the opportunities available for them but also about the company and all its devices and solutions. They also engaged with the marketing material displayed.
One of our representatives at the fair, Katleho Lesotho, had to this to say:
“With a room filled with eager, bright students who are hungry for the working world, it was with great pleasure that we could go and share the knowledge we have of the workplace with them. But what intrigued me the most was that some of the students were adamant that in order for one to make it as a successful accountant, they’d have to go work for a big accounting firm to make a career for themselves, but fortunately with my experience of the working world, I managed to illustrate to them that a career is not only built on a company within your sector but it is possible to find exactly what you studied for in a different kind of sector from the one you had originally planned for.”
“Most of the students we interacted with left with the knowledge of what we are doing as a company and how well they could fit into the company with their different studies. I feel proud to have been a part of the career fair and helped inspire young minds,” he added.
Overall, the fair was a great experience for Geotab Africa.
Author: The Geotab Africa Team
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