VUT Co-operative Education enhances the employability of students and graduates
VUT Co-operative Education enhances the employability of students and graduates
Programme facilitator Mr Fusi Motaung
Tebello Theledi
VUT Co-operative Education Department held employability workshops from 13 -15 February 2018 at the Desmond Tutu Great Hall. The workshops form part of the Department’s activities. The workshops prepared Vaal University of Technology students and graduates on how to cope in the job market. It also equipped them with skills to search for jobs effectively.
The workshops, which was open to all students, was designed to enable students to acquire knowledge, personal and professional skills and encourage the attitudes that will support their future development and employment.
The aim of the workshops was to develop students and graduates’ understanding of the complexities surrounding employability. The insightful programme was facilitated by Mr. Fusi Motaung, who is an experienced training professional. A former Human Resources Management student of VUT, he is currently the training and talent consultant of Morolo Consultants.
Mr. Motaung introduced students to a standard set of three skills for effective employability. Throughout this programme, these three skills were emphasised for students and graduates to further develop. They are as follows:
- Curriculum Vitae writing skills;
- Job-searching skills; and
- Interview skills.
These are the skills which are generally found on lists of unemployed graduates’ most desired skills.
It has been proven that a CV is the most important tool used to communicate in the job market: “A CV is your personal billboard, it allows you to sell your potential to employers and it also shows that you are suitably qualified,” Mr Motaung said. “There are vital points one needs to take serious consideration of when drafting a CV. Keep it clear and focus on success.”
The speaker elaborated to the attendees that they need “the elevator pitch”. You should ask yourself questions like: “Who am I? What do I do? What do I want to do?” He said that mastering one’s CV is very important and that it should be constantly updated.
The South African labour landscape reveals that there is a 27.70% unemployment rate and a 55.90% youth unemployment rate. The problems revealed by Mr Motaung were that graduates do not have professional networks, they lack job market information as well as confidence. They do not trust themselves to speak out and promote themselves.
In job searching, it is important to have personal contact with individuals and industry.
“Involve yourself in one-on-one approaches, interest groups and social media. This will assist you to pull out information and to know exactly who you are dealing with, therefore you will be prepared effectively,” he said.
Preparation is vital to perform successfully in an interview. The speaker showed the attendees how to do research, what to expect and he also took them through common competency-based questions.