22 Mar 2018

Career fair has been described as a strategic initiative providing opportunity for different stakeholders to give guidance to prospective tertiary institution learners to make a final decision about their future.

Speaking during the 2018 skills fair and career clinic official opening, the Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Dr Alfred Madigele said the initiative brings together various stakeholders ranging from industry, professional bodies, education and training sector including learners who are the mutual and primary focus.

“This is certainly a strategic initiative that provides an opportunity for different stakeholders to avail guidance to prospective tertiary institutions learners and we must not take this event lightly as it may turn out for some, to be the only opportune moment to make a final decision about their future”, he said.

Dr Madigele added that career guidance helped achieve economic diversification as people got developed in appropriate areas as well as priorities of labour markets skills needs in order to sustain the economy and contribute more to economic value.

“In some skilled labour force and supportive institutional and business environment, career fair plays a pivotal role in facilitating the economy to use knowledge, better its production and most importantly to balance the development of the economy.

He said theme: Career guidance for human resource development: gateway towards diversifying Botswana’s economy, economic diversification rest among others on innovation which stands for industry and research and developing 21st century critical thinkers.

Dr Madigele noted that career fair also helped develop interpersonal effectiveness and high self-esteem in learners apart from the career guidance that they are offered at the fair.

He highlighted that HRDC dealt with education and training institutions to ensure that training was in line with the industry needs.

For his part, the chief executive officer for Human Resource Development Council,Dr Raphael Dingalo said career fair targeted Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) school leavers. “HRDC wishes to extend the fair to cover also the graduates, linking them with industries for employment”, he added. ENDS