Students equipped for the world of work

Unisa’s Eastern Cape Regional Student Representative Council (RSRC) hosted a Student Equip workshop in Gqeberha on 5 September 2025. The purpose of the event was to expose UNISA students to a wide range of industries, career paths, internships, and job opportunities. The platform was also aimed at enabling students to network with potential employers, mentors, and industry professionals.

Various institutions participated in the event and had exhibition stalls, and these included the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Sarah Baartman District Municipality, NYDA, SAICA, COEGA, Department of Labour, and Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, amongst others.

Setting the scene and providing context to the event was the chairperson of the RSRC in the Eastern Cape Region, Tsholofelo Nkomo, who remarked that the event was aimed at empowering students with relevant knowledge, skills and support that will enable students to acquire opportunities to develop community business and individual initiatives that will be sustainable. 

The event attracted prominent leaders from government, which included the executive mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Councillor Babalwa Lobishe, and Eastern Cape Legislature Chairperson, Dr Tony Duba. Delivering a message of support for the event was the executive mayor, Councillor Lobishe, who, in her address, congratulated the Unisa student leadership for hosting such a remarkable event for students and mentioned that the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro has dedicated programmes aimed at extending training and development opportunities for students who are residents of the metro.

The mayor encouraged students to access opportunities in the metro through the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality's skills and development and employment equity programme. She informed students of the various units within the municipality that are responsible for addressing unacceptably high unemployment rates, especially amongst the youth, and aligning industry and labour needs with appropriate skills. Some of these programmes include:

• The Kasi Delivery Youth Empowerment Programme, which provides resources for young people to start and grow businesses and participate in the local economy
• An agricultural development programme which supports the youth-owned farming enterprises by providing agricultural inputs and offering training to graduates, promoting youth participation and leadership in agriculture
• An entrepreneurship and business growth initiative which supports young entrepreneurs by providing skills, resources and connections to help them start and grow businesses by boosting household income and creating jobs within the municipality. The mayor encouraged students to visit the municipality website for the unemployed graduates’ registration programme and to register.

Lobishe motivated students to stand out in the modern-day global and domestic high-stakes, technology-driven environment if they are to compete and succeed in the outside world.

Duba informed the students and stakeholders about the role of parliament and the impact of weak oversight, and the role society should play in holding parliament accountable.

The students were impressed by the calibre of speakers and exhibitors that were invited to attend the workshop and expressed appreciation to the RSRC for affording them an opportunity to connect with prospective employers and for creating a space to network and be empowered with skills and connections.

* By Nontsikelelo Gasa, Communication and Marketing Specialist, Unisa Eastern Cape