MANCOSA Employability Unit Focuses On Student Career Development

A series of webinars with top leaders from various fields will provide students and graduates with practical tools and tips to successfully improve their employability and progress in their chosen careers.

A private higher education institution, MANCOSA, will host virtual monthly motivational and general talks to encourage and inspire students.

Aisha Pandor, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of a multi-award-winning company, SweepSouth, will be the first speaker during the virtual webinar on Wednesday 13 October 2021 at 13h00.

MANCOSA opens the live virtual webinar to students and the public. However, if you are not a MANCOSA student, please enter ‘external’ in the student number field. 

She will discuss the topic titled “From Ph.D. to entrepreneurship: Why your specialization no longer needs to be your career”. Her journey, switching from genetics research to becoming the founder and CEO of a high-growth company will be related.

Pandor will share her inspirational journey, encourage the audience to pursue their passion and purpose in life and encourage people to think about how to design educational and career pathways that will help them stand out.

Professor Magnate Ntombela, principal of MANCOSA, said the unemployment rate in South Africa reached an all-time high of 34.4% during the second quarter of the year. Hence, this makes it critical for educational institutions to encourage skills designed for the workplace.

“MANCOSA strives to ensure that its students develop valuable life skills and become self-sufficient and confident people. These core competencies allow students to face workplace challenges with more confidence,” he said.

When asked about skills necessary for employment, Lutfiya Adam, Director of Human Resources and Employability at MANCOSA, said: “While technical skills and industry-specific knowledge are important to employers, employability skills are essential to student career development.

“The employability unit is created to offer students and graduates an opportunity to register on our MANCOSA Career Centre platform, to network, mentor or be mentored as well as apply for available vacancies at the institution, other organisations or small businesses.

“At MANCOSA, employability covers the full spectrum of education, from the teaching of values to the transfer of knowledge and the development of skills and attributes that equip students for the world of work,” said Adam.