• Education

Namibia Careers Expo promote sustainable development

Justicia Shipena

The Namibia Careers Expo aims to expose, inspire and educate young learners and graduates on the vast number of career paths and opportunities available to them.

The annual event is hosted in Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Ongwediva, attracting over 40 exhibitors and manages in excess of 3500 learners with 30 speakers sharing advice and insights to learners per event. This year’s expo will take place from 19 to 20 June at the Windhoek Country Club.

Speaking at the press conference, Jason Kasuto, chairman of Namibia Careers Expo, announced that the Namibia Career Expo team will be launching a mobile and web-enabled application in Namibia. “Our research has shown that choosing careers and getting funding for institutions of higher learning can be a daunting experience, particularly for those who don’t have much support and guidance as well as those in remote areas like townships, rural areas and farms. The system is designed to primarily address the on-going challenges faced in the Namibian education space,” he said.

According to Gerard Vries, director of education arts and culture in the Khomas Region, the ministry aims to educate and train young people in order to promote sustainable development. He added that the National Development Plan (NDP) aims to have a skilled workforce as Namibia walks towards a knowledge based economy.

“The ministry is expected to matriculate learners that are ready to take up studies that will enable them to fill the gaps that exists in our workforce,” he said.

He further stated that the career expo will benefit the young people in choosing their careers and said that he is pleased with the timing of the expo.

“I strongly believe it will leave ample time for our learners and the youth to be exposed to opportunities that exists within the confinement of the academic fields at tertiary institutions,” he said. Ester Simon, president of the Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso), said that Nanso is looking forward to collaborating with the Namibia Career Expo team and to lead the public discourse by addressing the issue of Namibia’s high youth unemployment rate. The public dialogue aims to match unemployed graduates with key industrialist, employers and companies by strategising on possible employment opportunities.

Simon urged the youth to attend the expo and encouraged corporate Namibia to continue inspiring and motivating the youth by providing career guidance in every corner of Namibia. “Let’s continue uplifting our people. Let’s keep the support and momentum going by increasing opportunities. We need to lead an inclusive and proactive campaign that will ensure opportunities trickle down to all 14 regions,” she said.