Mobilising Future Careers for South Africa's Youth

Dear AVA Friend

For many South African unemployed youth, it can be hard to think about the future. They don’t always have the skills and knowledge where and how to apply for employment.  Unlocking pathways to employment for young people, is critically needed in a country with one of the highest rates of unemployment amongst its youth.  Bertina Engelbrecht, CEO of the Clicks Group, and one of only four female CEO’s of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, inspired a hall filled with young jobseekers who attended a recent career expo, organised by Action Volunteers Africa (AVA) in Cape Town.   Bertina shared her own journey of overcoming many challenges in her life and gave very practical career advice to the young jobseekers.

In the audience was a young woman from Villiersdorp, Marilize.  She attended AVAs Mobile Career Café (MCC) earlier this year when the MCC visited her town; and AVA invited her group and many others that attended the MCCs in the year, to the career expo. For a young woman from a small village like Villiersdorp, it was eye-opening to learn about so many career opportunities at the expo. Marilize said that she didn’t know what to study since completing Grade 12, “but since being exposed to the AVA Career Expo I have so many ideas of careers to pursue and I have become more open minded.  The expo really motivated me and I was inspired by the story of the CEO of Clicks".

Marilize was very enthusiastic about her first interaction with AVA and the Mobile Career Café. “I believe the MCC was a stepping stone to providing me with more clarity on what employers are looking for. I now know how to create a professional CV, what to expect in an interview and how to express myself. I had no direction in life until I was exposed to AVA. I now found the light at the end of the tunnel" she said.

I hope Marilize’s story inspires you as well.  Your support made it possible for us to reach out and connect her to promising career opportunities she can pursue.  Thank you!

Janine

Just over a year ago we pitched two open tents with a trailer and offered job-readiness workshops to youth in Worcester.  It was the birth of the Mobile Career Café, an initiative that proved to be brilliantly simple, and simply, brilliant. Since inception, the MCC visited 9 communities and reached 254 young people.  We could only do this, because of your support. 

The MCC recently visited a rural community and solely engaged with children of farmworkers in the area.  The lack of job-readiness services has a severe debilitating effect on the employment prospects of these young people; and basic information and personal engagement proved very impactful on different levels.  Further support and exposure to more developmental opportunities will propel them into sustainable futures; and that’s the next step we are aiming at with the MCC.

One year after the start of the MCC, we have more requests for the MCC to visit areas - and return to the areas already visited - than what we can cope with. The Mobile Career Café Crew is now planning how to take this game changing initiative to the next level. We will only grow from here!

THANK YOU for enabling AVA to provide much needed employment education services to young people from underserved communities in South Africa.   Your continued support will help us develop this initiative to become even more impactful.  Please consider sharing the project link within your network of friends, family and colleagues.  Again, thank you!