John Ekongo
21 April 2008
Windhoek — The Polytechnic of Namibia (PoN) held its 3rd Career Fair at the campus last week.
The event attracted school learners, students and exhibitors alike, well in their thousands. The Finance Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila expressed happiness towards the event saying that it is a "career enriching exercise".
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila was the guest speaker at this year's event. The minister commended the PoN for breaking new grounds every year, among them that it is creating well-trained graduates. She cited in particular an incident when her office's air-conditioning system was out of operation, and graduates from the PoN were summoned to repair the faulty machine. To her surprise it turned out to be female technicians.
This she believes is a clear indication that the institution is doing a marvellous job, and she urged the PoN to continue in its endeavours to create a better equipped and trained society for the development of the country.
The Career Fair is an annual event, which provides a platform for Polytechnic students to meet prospective employers in Namibia. During the Career Fair, students approach the exhibitors for possible employment opportunities.
The Career Fair also serves as a recruitment drive of high school students who are in grades 11 and 12 and who are interested in joining the Polytechnic, should they qualify.
Rector of the PoN, Dr Tjama Tjivikua, stressed the importance of choosing a career that is rewarding and similarly fulfilling.
"It is up to us to choose the career that we consider most suitable, which may be rewarding or not," said the rector.
Tjivikua continued, "If you choose a profession that you love, you will never have to work for the rest of your life. In short, when you engage in your passion, you are at your best to perform so naturally."
However, the rector also warned that the students should be realistic about the job market. More so he cautioned that a paper qualification is no longer a guarantee for employment, but it should rather be complemented by theory, skills and competency.
He stressed that the job market in Namibia is small and not all can be absorbed.
Therefore he urged that graduates and students alike should also look at innovation, risk taking and entrepreneurship as important attributes to create self-employment.
Whilst the fair was a platform to share ideas, learners from the various schools in Windhoek were also present to engage with the institution and with potential employers and to solicit for scholarships from various companies.
To this effect, various private sector companies, state owned entities and multinational companies held information sessions and displays to show what their companies are all about.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Era. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
