Students had opportunities to interact with over 30 businesses, organisations and educational institutions as they visited the various exhibition stands and attended the ongoing career plenary sessions throughout the day. In the pursuit of excellence, students were encouraged to believe in themselves, focus on commitment and work hard for a prosperous future, not only for their own good, but for the good of the country as a whole, because they are the leaders of tomorrow.

Speaking at the opening of the GIBS CareerExpo, Prof Nick Binedell, Dean of GIBS, said: “Someone once said that the opportunity of a lifetime must be taken in the lifetime of the opportunity and today is an opportunity. This country is going to need a new generation of leaders and you are the leaders now.”

The GIBS CareerExpo provided students with a platform to explore career and tertiary education opportunities through one-on-one interactions with potential employers and educational institutions, as well as a truly great platform for businesses and tertiary institutions to reach enthusiastic, information-hungry students looking beyond high school and into the next phase of their lives.
 

During one of the day’s breakaway sessions themed “The first year of varsity experience: Making the transition successfully”, it was made clear to those present that preparation is key, whether it was for university entrance or going into the job market. The key issue was that students needed to know that university was not easy and that they needed to mentally prepare for the hard work ahead. With year-on-year statistics revealing an alarming number of students failing their first year at university dismally, it was noted that this was not due to incompetence on the part of the students, but rather a lack of preparedness for the change from high school to university. The session’s facilitator encouraged students to prepare to work twice as hard as they did in Matric and apply themselves mentally to ensure success in the transition from being teenagers to young responsible adults.
 

At other plenary sessions held during the day, students had the opportunity to meet with various representatives of business organisations to discuss new exciting careers in the 21st century in fields such as astronomy, medicine, marketing, journalism, film making, entertainment and entrepreneurship, to name but a few. Facilitated by young, successful individuals in the diverse fields, students were encouraged to make career choices they were passionate about in order to become successful in the future.
 

“Once again the GIBS CareerExpo was a huge success and provided a platform for students to engage directly with potential employers and universities,” said Phyllis Byars, programme manager of the Centre for Leadership and Dialogue at GIBS.
 

“This has been an eye opener for most of the students present as they received invaluable information to share with their peers.
 

“Post-Matric students often flounder and end up making wrong choices when it comes to their studies or chosen careers and it is platforms such as the GIBS CareerExpo that help guide students into making the right choices for their future,” she added.