Grade 12 learners from schools in and around Vuwani Ha-Nesengani were encouraged to think about becoming job creators, instead of job seekers, during a Career Exhibition Seminar held at the Vuwani Agricultural Community Hall on Friday, 16 June.
The Ramukhuba-Nesengani Business Forum (Ramnes), which comprises local professionals such as doctors, accountants, and chief financial officers in municipalities and government, invited matric learners from schools such as Kolokoshani, Tshipakoni and Edson Nesengani to encourage them to be future leaders.
The spokesperson of the forum, Mr Matome Manenzhe, who was born and raised in a village around Ramukhuba-Nesengani but nowadays runs a successful business in Gauteng, said life was tough for young people wanting to further their education at tertiary level. He told the learners that they had no guarantee that they would be employed, even with qualifications.
Manenzhe said that, with the fourth Industrial Revolution in place, their forum sought to empower young people from villages around Ramukhuba-Nesengani, so that they could one day play a major role in their society.
"As a business forum, we want to equip local Grade 12 learners with skills and knowledge to fight poverty and unemployment in rural communities. We don't want these young learners to just go to school and further their studies, thinking they will look for jobs afterwards, but to be job creators in all the industrial sectors," Manenzhe said.
The forum also invited representatives from the University of Venda (Univen) to the seminar to exhibit some of the careers they offered, to give the matric learners different options to consider.