The value of Career Days in promoting construction as a career of choice

School subjects provide limited information in comparison to the expanded topics once we reach the working world. This often means that learners are not aware of the kinds of careers that are available. When asking primary school learners what they want to be when they grow up, the answer is usually a doctor, policeman, lawyer or teacher. This is due to their exposure to these occupations in their daily lives. Very few kids would know about the responsibilities of a phlebotomist, quantity surveyor or civil engineer.

Holding a Career Day gives learners an up-close look at different jobs and connects their learning to the real world. On Career Days the working community share insights about their careers and details about the required qualifications for success. Meanwhile, students get the opportunity to listen to presenters, ask questions and consider what roles pique their interest.

Reading about an occupation in a textbook is very different from learning about it from someone in the field. Career Days can expose learners to careers they may not have imagined and allows them to learn about jobs that align with their interests and skills, so they can start to narrow down what path to pursue in the future. These events provide an interactive and dynamic learning experience, where students can pose questions directly to professionals and presenters can invite students to tackle real-world problems.

Benefits of attending a Career Day.

1. Networking with Potential Employers

A career event is the perfect place to network with people in the industry, as it provides an opportunity to speak one-on-one with multiple company representatives all in the same venue.

2. Access to Free Information

Career events offer a multitude of free information from industry trends and opportunities to specific skills required in a particular field or allowing a learner to explore alternate employment avenues.

3. Understanding the requirements of a particular job

Most occupations are described by the knowledge requirements for a particular job. It is only through speaking with a professional that you can learn what soft skills are required.

4. Interview Practice

Most people are not going to find a job by attending a career event. But each time they attend such an event, they get the chance to practice their interviewing skills. For example, approaching a potential employer can be a bit intimidating the first time. However, many find that after doing it a few times during a single Career Day, they feel more comfortable engaging with potential employers.

Some of the skills you get to practice include introducing yourself (oddly not always easy), giving a firm handshake (just trust us on this), marketing yourself, answering basic interview questions, and asking questions of the company. Each of these skills is critical for finding a job.

5. Learn About Job Opportunities in Your Industry

Most industries have multiple entry-level opportunities. For example, in construction Health & Safety one can start out as a safety officer and progress to a Safety Manager or a Risk Engineer. Career events offer students a chance to explore these entry level options and to talk with employers about what makes an ideal employee for those positions. A career event can also introduce students to alternative career paths they might not have thought about previously.

The Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal Training Academy hosts and attends Career days to promote construction as a career of choice. This May, the Training team joined the Mangosuthu University of Technology and 49 other organisations for their Career Day held at the University’s campus.  The event was open to students from the University to explore various career options related to their studies. The Training Academy exhibited various careers in the built environment and spoke to students about their studies.

Heidi Kilian

Head: Training