Work-seeker registration coordinator from the Easten Cape’s Provincial Office, Nolusindiso Gxekani, assisting some graduates
Aphiwe Dabula is just one recent graduate, who signed up with the Department of Employment and Labour’s (DEL) current job creation drive at Nelson Mandela University’s Indoor Sports Centre.
“I wish these initiatives would occur in other places too, or for such opportunities to be communicated more widely so that they can reach their intended audience, which is the unemployed youth,” added Aphiwe, who obtained an Advanced Diploma in Economics.
Initiated on Friday, 12 April, when the University’s Gqeberha graduation commenced, the drive targets recent graduates, but is also open to everybody with a Grade 12 certificate.
With the Department serving as an intermediary between job-seekers and employers, past and present students are encouraged to register and form part of the cohort, from which the DEL will pull when job opportunities arise.
Work-seeker registration coordinator from the Easten Cape’s Provincial Office, Nolusindiso Gxekani, stressed the high levels of youth unemployment, and the need for such intervention.
“Our mandate at Public Employment Services is to contribute decent employment opportunities, through our database, called ESSA (Employment Services of South Africa), where work-seekers are registered and matched with suitable work and learning opportunities,” said Ms Gxekani.
The seamless registration form entails job-seekers’ personal information, their level of education, work experience, and references.
“We assist them with filling out the form, which is then captured by our client service officers, who then match the work-seekers with the post requirements”, she explained.
Employment Services Practitioners from the DEL also visit prospective employers in the public and private sectors, to look for job opportunities to be registered in the system to match qualifying candidates.
“We ask the employers to register their opportunities with the Department of Labour and Employment, so that we can source work-seekers from our system for them”, said Ms Gxekani.
The DEL would contact candidates who meet the employers’ requirements, to ascertain whether they are still interested and available. Names of candidates are not referred to prospective employers, without their approval.
“Career councillors in our Labour Centre offices can also prepare them for their job interviews and create work readiness programmes, if needed,” she said.
The mobile employment bus also has pamphlets on various other job readiness programmes (social media, disability, entrepreneurship) that students and graduates can access for personal enrichment and further reading.
Tourism Management graduate, Zusiphe Ngalonkulu, shared her delight with this initiative.
“Today’s graduation already marked one of the most memorable days of my life, so the prospect of job opportunities shows that our hard work will indeed be recognised through absorption into the workforce”.
Although the DEL’s job creation drive is being hosted at the University, the initiative seeks to add as many graduates as possible in the system; this includes other institutions of higher education within the Eastern Cape.