CareerBuild: Shaping the Future of South Africa’s Youth
Many of our South African youth face a lack of guidance about their future. This has been described by at least one academic as a travesty of social justice. Many matriculants are very unclear about what it is that they want to do once leaving school, and for the few that do have a clear idea of what they want to do with their lives, many of them do not know how to pursue their career of choice.
The lack of career guidance, especially for youth in previously disadvantaged communities, means that thousands of young people are unable to make realistic and informed decisions about their futures. Valid and accessible input about a career path could be the key ingredient in setting someone on the path to success and fulfilment. This is exactly the result we have seen among participants in the CareerBuild programme.
CareerBuild has helped thousands of young people with career direction
CareerBuild is a proudly South African initiative that seeks to mentor young people in practical ways concerning their career choices, options and opportunities. The programme runs for 5 weeks, targeting Grade 11s specifically, though learners from the ages of 17 – 25 have benefitted from the input in those weeks.
Candidates in the programme have the opportunity to engage in workshops and exercises, resulting in a detailed career plan that plots out envisioned steps to entering their chosen careers and professions. The plans are personal, realistic, and broken down into attainable goals, using the input from the candidate, with support and information provided by their coaches.
Many of the CareerBuilders have the opportunity to shadow someone from their chosen careers, an opportunity that is arranged by their mentors with willing professionals.
Each course culminates in a graduation ceremony which celebrates the ground taken over the duration of the programme, and where CareerBuilders receive a certificate of attendance.
A holistic approach
The CareerBuild course recognises the multi-faceted nature of young people, and to this end also includes the opportunity to address the emotional and spiritual needs of the youth.
There is time during the programme to express and channel their emotions and spiritual concerns, all within the framework of investigating and deciding how they will prepare themselves for the next step in their journey to success and career fulfilment.
The impact of CareerBuild
Since the first CareerBuild program in 2007, over seven thousand young people have benefited from the course, and it has been nominated for business awards twice, making it to the finals each time. This is an astonishing accomplishment in its fifteen-year history, with graduates being as far afield as Limpopo, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and North West.
Many graduates are pursuing the career paths formulated on the CareerBuild courses. The relationships developed between the students and coaches frequently extend beyond the two months, standing the test of time.
The course is run annually in Cosmo City, drawing mainly on passionate volunteers from Northpoint City Church in North Riding, and from churches in the community. Around 60 students completed their CareerBuilding in May/June of this year, 2022.
Getting involved
If you would like to know how to get involved as a mentor, coach, or as someone who can give a young person the opportunity of shadowing you or a colleague in their field of choice, please contact us. There is always an opportunity to give back in CareerBuild.
If you would be interested in attending and benefitting from the programme in upcoming courses, please also contact us for scheduling and other details.
Impophomo is passionate about the future of South Africa’s youth
CareerBuild is one of the programmes we have partnered with to see a brighter future for the most vulnerable in this country. Please visit here to see what other upliftment programmes we run, operate and have partnered with to bring people hope and opportunities where, for many, there seem to be none.
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