In a meeting that was held on 26 March 2024 at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) with eThekwini Municipality, a three-year plan was drafted. MUT’s Schools’ Liaison Assistant, Ayanda Bulose, who attended the meeting, has said that MUT will be part the plan. Other institutions that are part of the plan are the University of KwaZulu-Natal, (UKZN), local TVET colleges, the central Applications Office (CAO), Umlazi, Pinetown and Ugu Districts, and DUT. The plan focuses on grades 12, 9, and 7. The plan takes off in the current year.
The plan will roll out as follows: From 22-24 May 2024, there will be a grade 12 Career Symposium at Durban’s ICC. Bulose said there will be 15 schools per district. Each institution will be given six exhibition stands. The eThekwini Municipality proposed to shift the grade 12 career symposium to February next year, as opposed to hosting it in May. This essentially could mean that the municipality will work closely with the department of education and the Careers Exhibitions & Information Association (CEIA) and the Umlazi district exhibition will be sponsored by eThekwini municipality. This will include buses sent out to schools to pick-up learners and the venue will be booked by the municipality.
The plan will also incorporate a Winter School for grade 12 learners. Bulose said the purpose of the winter school was to assist schools in Mathematics, Physical science, and English. These are “areas in which the schools are struggling”, said Bulose. According to Bulose, the event will be held in the Pinetown district from the last week of June, and the first week of July. Next year the event will be in the Umlazi district.
There will also be the Grade 9 Career Symposium at the UKZN’s Edgewood Campus or the ICC. Fifteen schools per district will attend the event. Bulose said the dates will be communicated once they are finalised.
The last segment of the plan will be the Careers Dress Up Day for grade 7 learners. The event offers these learners a chance to share their dreams, mainly with judges. They dressed up in their desired professional attires, from which they will be judged; the winners will be awarded. This event will take place in the Umlazi district. Dates will be communicated when the are available.
Bulose said he fully supports the initiative taken by the eThekwini Municipality to have a programme for three years. Bulose said three years was “more practical as opposed to setting a long-term goal. Three years also enables institutions to explore other avenues of growth along with reflecting on what could be done to improve the programme if there is a need”. Bulose also said that the plan would give institutions a chance to connect with schools they might not have been able to connect with, had the plan not been there. “The plan will also make it easier for institutions plan properly. “It also makes the job easier for institutions to secure appointments with schools because they will be making those arrangements around the three-year plan. This plan also gives learners opportunities to get more insight on possible bursary initiative. Presently, the municipality has given over five bursaries to students in the UGU district,” said Bulose. He also added that the plan “mostly focuses on quintile 1,2 and 3 schools, which are schools that need such assistance, as opposed to the quintile 4 and 5 schools. Bulose pointed out that the eThekwini Municipality and institutions were going out of their way “to ensure that learners get proper information first hand. This allows learners to choose their careers precisely and accurately”.