On the 15 May 2017, Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) in partnership with Anglo Gold Ashanti and OR ThamboMunicipality hosted a very successful Career Expo for Grade 12 learners, at Mthatha Airport.

Nathi May, MC for the Career Expo, from Anglo Gold Ashanti posed a few thought provoking questions to the learners at the start of the event, “At the end of the year what is going to happen to you?  How many of you know what you really want to do next year?” May went on to say, “It has been roughly 2400 days that you have spent at school in the last 12 years, but what you decide to study will play a huge role in your future, so chose wisely.”

Learners were given some career guidance on how to decide on a career path. 
These consisted of 9 steps and are as follows:

Step 1:Begin by determining what you like to do.

Step 2:  Identify the skills you use when you are doing the things you enjoy.

Step 3:  Think of fields broadly.

Step4:  Consider cross field work.

Step 5:  Learn about the qualifications required for the fields that interest you.

Step 6:  Find people who work in the field and learn from them.

Step 7:  Evaluate your choice of field according to your own perception.

Step 8:  Sign up for an educational or training programme in the career of your choice.

Step 9:  Keep positive.

Sheena Pillay from Anglo Gold Ashanti, explained with experience to learners what options they have, and the alternative options that they might have to take, “We are a mining company and we care about you, we have the responsibility to uplift communities, and the most sustainable thing that we can give you is education.” Pillay emphasised the importance of the English language, she also spoke about the bursaries that Anglo Gold Ashanti have to offer and will be advertised in the newspapers later in this year, where learners can apply.

Learners then had the opportunity to go to the expo room, where different institutions and academy’s, had different information on displayed.  There learners asked questions, interacted and some filled in paper work on enquiries of their chosen careers.

Overall the Career Expo was a success and reached a large number of learners.  For learners that never attended you may go onto www.careerorg.co.za and get career information there or alternatively you can also go onto www.anglogoldashanti.com/careers.