Duduza – The Duduza Methodist Church hosted a career expo last Saturday.
The church invited a wide variety of professionals from a number of industries, including the transport, legal, construction, funeral home and scuba diving industries, among others.
Head organiser of the event Tshidiso Mofokeng says this was done to motivate and inform high school learners of their choices.
“The idea for this day came in 2017 when graduates in the church were asked to wear their graduation regalia to inspire the youth to go for their dreams.
“During that day, one of the stakeholders suggested a career expo to showcase local businesses and encourage black excellence,” he says.
The speakers invited were all black, many of whom were executives at their respective companies.
“We wanted to have black people on the stage so the learners can see someone who looks like them and know they too can make it,” he explains.
The church also invited people from industries like scuba diving to inspire a variety of choices learners have.
“Scuba diving, for example, is a white-dominated industry and we wanted to show the learners that they do not always have to be a nurse or a teacher, but they could become a diver too.
“We are also gearing up for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and as such, we want to encourage learners to go for courses that will still be relevant,” he adds.
Various institutions of higher education, like the Ekurhuleni East College, were also present at the expo.
Seipati Mgwenya, a Grade 11 learner at Asser Maloka Secondary School, says she was happy to be at the expo.
“The expo was great because they encouraged us to go for our dreams, and showed us that they are possible,” she says.
