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KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube is leading from the front and taking decisive action to tackle youth unemployment through exposing youth to careers of the future.

Thousands of graduates and young people from all over the province have been given life changing opportunities and equipped with information about in-demand jobs during a Career Exhibition currently underway.

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, in partnership with the Fuze Institute and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, is hosting a three-day Career Expo, ending on 24 June 2023, which has been a resounding success.

The event, which is open to high school learners, graduates and the general public, attracted more than 10 000 people from all over the province.

The Career Expo is a collaborative intervention aimed at breaking barriers and bottlenecks in order to curb rampant youth unemployment in the province and the country.

The Expo featured numerous exhibitors, representing a wide range of industries, including: Agriculture, Information and Communication Technology, Manufacturing, Automotive Manufacturing, Fast-Moving Consumer Retail, Maritime and Aviation among other key sectors of the economy.

Held during Youth Month, the main aim of the Expo is to expose youth to job opportunities in different sectors.

Through a public-private partnership, the Expo targeted unemployed graduates in order to reskill them for new opportunities which are needed by various industries. The unemployed graduates also received bursary applications and information on available scholarships.

Visitors to Expo had the opportunity to meet with prospective employers, learn about career opportunities and network with other professionals.

The Expo also featured a number of workshops and presentations covering a wide range of topics which are beneficial to the youth.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said the three-day Expo has been “highly impactful”.

“We are of the view that in our Province we need to drive a hybrid approach of keeping conventional jobs while implementing strategies that will aggressively shift youth’s efforts towards creating marketable opportunities for themselves. This Career Expo is about imparting meaningful and demonstrable knowledge to our youth to be courageous enough to set up their own entities and create more sustainable, decent and fulfilling jobs.”

“Time for never ending meetings about meetings is over now – we are turning the tide against unemployment of our people. As I am speaking, I am captivated but equally gripped by emotions because I have a line of sight over a KwaZulu-Natal that is working, both young and old. It is not on paper or in offices, we are being practical now,” said Premier Dube-Ncube.

Premier Dube-Ncube said the Career Expo was also a valuable platform that connects young people with prospective employers.

“The Career Expo was a great way to meet potential employers and learn about their sectors and identify available opportunities. There are many post-school youth development programmes including on-the-job training for some entry-level jobs, graduate internships across a wide range of disciplines, learnerships, cadet programmes that develop critical skills, and bursary programmes that funds university education for matriculants,” concluded Premier Dube-Ncube.

Issued by the Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal