The Department of Labour (DOL) in partnership with Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM) hosted a Job Fair and Career Exhibition Day at the municipal building.
According to the DOL, the purpose of the event was for work seekers to meet with prospective employers and other organisations and departments that can assist with their placement in different forms of employment.
Mr James “Castro” Nkosi, Youth Office Manager responsible for the youth development in GSDM, said this was a much-needed intervention for the unemployed youth, including unemployed graduates to meet with various possible employers who shared information regarding their companies to guide them towards making informed decisions about their career path.
“With this event we were able to bring much-needed services to guide the youth seeking employment. We were also able to bring to them services such as the registration in the DOL database, which is widely used by employers looking to employ people,”said Mr Nkosi.
He said the organisers were pleased with the turn-out, as it exceeded the number they expected and it was also an indication that many young people are desperate for jobs and such initiatives are able to at least breach the gap and ensure that they are equipped with knowledge of what employers are looking for.
He said as a district municipality, they would continue extending the programme to local municipalities and with the youth database collected, they would continue engaging them in the various sectors.
“Young people must use every opportunity given to them. We have also involved youth officers and coordinators from different municipalities who will assist in disseminating the information to young people in the district,”said Mr Nkosi.
Nonhlanhla Sibanyoni, a Human Resources graduate from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), said attending the event was an eye-opener for her and her friends.
She said with the new information she would be able to cast her net wide regarding job seeking and she also registered in the DOL database which she hopes will assist her.
