About us

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

Welcome

The theme of the guide this year is ‘navigation’. While the 2021 guide summoned the innate human capacity for resilience in the midst of crises like the pandemic, this year we offer a diverse spread of both food for thought and practical tips for successfully navigating the new world of work.

Our purpose at UCT Careers Service is driven by the aim that 100% of UCT students should have a professional destination in mind at the point of Graduation. Whether the destination be to take up formal employment, to continue studying so that academic credentials may be strengthened, to be self-employed and employ others, or to offer voluntary service and gain experience… we are committed to strengthening all students’ prospects and our services are available to you for up to three years post-Graduation.

offer up-to-date, interesting, practical guidance that will speak to the vibrantly diverse readers making up the UCT student population. The data confirms that our overall readership is growing significantly each year, and more importantly, that student interest is confirmed across the spectrum of content read.

You may be one of our readers looking for reliable labour market insights generally, you may prefer to delve into the more practical sections, or you may be on the lookout for words of wisdom from young graduates who have successfully navigated the first few years of work. Whatever your career development needs may be as you open the guide today, we have aimed to ensure that you find good answers here. Each section is colour coded for ease of navigation.

Section one offers a look at who we are as a department, what we do and who we partner with in the ambitious and critical work we are here to do. Here we also offer you an overview of the student development journey that we respond to in our work – from First year through to the three years post- Graduation.

Whatever your career development needs may be as you open the guide today, we have aimed to ensure that you find answers here.

Section two dives straight into up-to-date world of work trends, essential skills and how you can set yourself up for success. Section three gets a whole lot more practical, homing in on emerging job trends and an expert perspective on the evident and rapidly growing demand for Humanities Graduates in the STEM fields. This is immediately followed by a series of articles covering the application process right through to your first day of work. Workplace culture, a perspective on what a portfolio career involves and a bunch of tips for successfully working and studying, wrap up this section.

Are you considering Postgraduate study? Section four offers inspiration and insight into your options and how to access these. Whether you have no idea of the options available to you, are hesitating because of some myths that have put you off or are pondering definite inter-disciplinary post-grad study but would like a bit more direction before you make your choices, head to this section for precisely what you need.

Section five offers a spectrum of views on a growing employment area: Entrepreneurship, including both practical and mindful navigation insights into funding options, resilience, being self-employed and naming your business. Ending on a high note, the final article offers tips for a winning business pitch.

Our Final year readers look forward every year, to the last (and definitely not least!) section of the guide: the Employer Directory which is always packed with opportunities currently on offer. This year’s Directory includes over 2500 opportunities available with 59 employers. The top skills these employers are looking for, in order of priority are: Critical Thinking, Communication, Teamwork Effectiveness, Planning & Ways of Working (time management, agile thinking) and Mental Flexibility (creativity, adaptability, ability to learn).

Earlier this year Stats SA reported in its Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) that the narrow definition of youth unemployment had grown to 65.5 percent by the end of 2021. The fact that South Africa has a youth unemployment crisis cannot be disputed. As a UCT department mandated to contribute to stemming this crisis, these frightening statistics ensure that we bring our A-game to the work we do every day.

The Guide you are about to navigate is one of our proudest annual creations. We hope that you enjoy reading it, as much as we have enjoyed creating it.

Yours in career development,

Brenda Martin

Director, UCT Careers Service