EXSA mentors and educates

EXSA was recently given the opportunity to travel with the Services Seta to some of their Career Exhibitions. This was done to make learners more aware of the world of events and exhibitions.

The first stop was the beautiful area surrounding Caledon in the Western Cape. We visited three towns: Caledon, Villiersdorp and Grabouw over three consecutive days. At each venue there were a number of schools present, with learners varying from grade 9 to 12.

Sadly, none of the learners had been to a large exhibition, as many live in rural farming areas and have not been exposed to what many of us take for granted. They had great aspirations and were very excited to hear that there were so many career paths to choose from and that they didn’t only have to obtain qualifications, but could also go the skills route, as many would have to leave home to attend the closest universities and colleges.

The Services Seta team are an amazing group of young, energetic individuals who were an absolute pleasure to work with. They ensured all learners were fed and, as there was leftover food, they went into the local communities and distributed the food among those less fortunate.

Two grade 12 learners were invited to attend the Financial Exhibition at the Sandton Convention Centre on 9 May. They observed what an exhibition was about and spoke to the exhibitors about a career in finance, which was very exciting.

The last stop was Cosmo City in Johannesburg with an audience of over 750 learners. Their goals and dreams were so varied and diverse. It was great to be able to listen to the youth and to hear how they want to make changes to both their lives and the country.

By Lee-Ann Alder, association manager of EXSA

The takeaway from this was very humbling and we also learnt through this experience. Thank you so much to Services Seta for allowing EXSA this opportunity.