The Department of Public Safety hosted a career expo in Randburg to expose youngsters from the Signa Academy to various career prospects. Signa offers quality training programmes such as SETA accredited learnerships, short courses, SETA accredited online training programmes and workplace facilitation for people living with disabilities.
The training institution, which has a national footprint, also works in agriculture, wholesale, and retail, automotive, information technology, call centres, project management, business services, and new venture creation.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), Emergency Management Services (EMS), Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (CRUM), the Department of Labour, the Department of Correctional Services, the Signa academy, Social Development, Licencing, Nedbank, the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), and others were among the exhibitors at the career day.
Signa oversees learnerships for students aged 18 to 27 depending on what the clients are looking for, according to campus manager Janet Maunganidze.
“The career expo was created to expose our students to various departments in order for them to be placed where their qualifications are applicable. All we try to do at Signa is provide opportunities for young people to become better members of society,” Maunganidze added.
Each exhibitor’s purpose was to show Signa students the employment options available in their workplace by handing out pamphlets, assisting them in sorting through the information, and answering questions as needed.
Juluka Baloyi, an ex-offender and certified civil engineer, spoke to the students about his experiences, highlighting how difficult it was for him to put his life back together after his imprisonment and the problems he experienced following his release.
Samantha Ramsewaki, community engagement manager for the Department of Correctional Services, said the expo enabled her to describe the employment options for the learners.
“The majority of learners who came to the correctional services stand were primarily interested in working for the department on an entry level, and we were able to give them an understanding of what the job task was about and the type of expectation an official would require. There was a lot of interest in other professions within our workplace, and we were able to share the dynamics of our job scope and the various services that our department offers,” Ramsewaki added.
The expo and the information they got from all exhibitors motivated the pupils.
“With all of the information that we received today, I think it’s very empowering, and I appreciate everything that Signa does for us because it helps us as youth not only focus on one career path but on many other outlets that offer us a chance to choose a different career path,” said a student, Jaden Jordaan.
Students were inspired by the information they received from exhibitors, and the event ended with games to test their knowledge.
Written by Relebohile Tshabalala
21/04/2023