The University of Cape Town's (UCT) Sports Centre was abuzz with activity as students and potential employers gathered for the annual Epic Job Expo on 4 August.
Hosted by the award-winning UCT Careers Service, the event brought together representatives from local and international organisations eager to connect with top student talent. Beyond recruitment opportunities, exhibitors offered career guidance and insights into the job search process, helping students better understand employer expectations and industry trends. For many attendees, the expo also served as a platform for career discovery, exploration and skills development as they considered their future professional pathways.
The deputy vice-chancellor for Teaching and Learning, Professor Brandon Collier-Reed, was impressed. "The Epic Job Expo is buzzing this year. I've had a chance to walk around to see students engaging with future employers and it is wonderful to see," he said. "An expo this size creates an environment for students to feel like there are opportunities for them once they leave university. The fact that this is the largest expo on the continent hosted by a university makes it an amazing opportunity to participate in."
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Sponsors and partners have been key to pulling off a successful expo. Platinum sponsor, Monocle Solutions, was represented by graduate talent specialist Refiloe Mothibi: "For us, looking for talent is a mammoth, but necessary task, but top talent is important in our business and UCT has been one of the universities that has been instrumental and helpful in giving us access to top talent from early on. We get the opportunity to engage students from first year, and by the time they get to honours level - which is when they are eligible to apply for the graduate programme - relationships are established and the brand has had exposure and reach to the different students and cohorts in the university."
This year's expo also included a career conversations corner where students could walk into a booth for a 10-minute one-on-one conversation with potential employers. There was also an opportunity for students to get curriculum vitae (CV) guidance. Aside from the influential conversations, students also received goodie bags from businesses, while also participating in gaming activities from chill zone sponsor, Valterra Platinum.
It goes both ways
Students' Representative Council (SRC) president, Kitso Mojapelo, was also in attendance. The third-year mechanical engineering student noted that as someone nearing the zenith of his degree, it was important to understand the career opportunities available to him. "It's about figuring out what my best fit is," he said. I've tried to speak to as many people as I can to see how they suit my personality and what is possible with my degree and to see what opportunities exist that I may have not been aware of. I've gained a lot of perspectives from the engagements, and for me this year, it's about the graduate programmes. So, it's been exciting to try and get a direction set through speaking to different companies."
He added: "It's not every day that you get to speak to the companies face-to-face and allow them to connect and get to know you, so I would encourage people to attend such events if they haven't before."
"I put myself back into my student life and try to give advice to students from that point of view."
Ntokozo Sindane, a master's student in chemical engineering, has the benefit of giving insight as not only a student, but also as an intern at Careers Service. "Having attended expos in the past, I often felt like I was just here to collect goodies, because I didn't know what questions to ask and what is here for me. I've since learned that even I, as an inquisitive student, add value through the interactions with the companies and I learned this with my time with Careers Service. The day goes both ways for students and would-be recruiters."
For Shiraaz Jogee, the representative of ENGIE - the day's CV lab sponsor - one of the highlights of the day was reflecting on when he was a student navigating this critical time. "That's the ideology that has guided the way I engage with students. I put myself back into my student life and try to give advice to students from that point of view. It's about giving students enough knowledge and understanding of the opportunities available and how to get introduced to said opportunities."
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Head of graduate development and employability at Careers Service, Nawaal Boolay, said the day once again strengthened pathways from university to meaningful employment for UCT talent. "It was a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved when higher education and industry come together with a shared commitment to developing future talent. What stood out most was the remarkable turnout and enthusiasm of our students. The energy in the venue was undeniable, with students demonstrating curiosity, professionalism and ambition as they navigated the exhibition floor."
