Not all schools in the country regard career aptitude tests as an important part of the curriculum, therefore many school leavers often do not know what form of employment would be appropriate for them.

But with the Careers Expo coming up this month, learners will be exposed to different career options.

The Careers Expo, which is an initiative of CYE Investment Holdings, Design Advertising and Monasa Development Consultants, offers learners the chance to interact with professionals from different sectors.

The event also aim to open the minds of young people to the vast array of career opportunities available to them. "The next generation of leaders are faced with many challenges resulting from increasing complexity and lack of information about what career to follow or how to reach the desired career path.

"Information is the key that unlocks all the doors to success. Careers Expo 2010 aim to educate, inform and inspire the next generation to take the future into their own hands and become constructive builders of their own career paths," the organisers of the event have said. According to Abed Erastus, Project Coordinator of Careers Expo 2010, more visitors can be expected this year. "The expo was held for the first time last year and we had about 2000 visitors, we expect them to increase to 3000. Entrance will be free for learners, teachers and students of tertiary institutions with student cards," said Erastus. The number of exhibitors also doubled from 15 in 2009, to 30 this year. The exhibitors will include educational institutions in the SADC region, businesses and relevant government departments. Some of the exhibitors include Namibia Breweries, Telecom Namibia, Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA), Deloitte, the University of the Free State and the Namibian Institute of Culinary Education (NICE). "The idea is to make this an annual event and to expand it to all over the country to make it more accessible to people," Erastus said.

The Careers Expo will be held under the theme, 'Explore the opportunities' and will take place from from 18 to 19 March at the Windhoek Show Grounds.