The Nelson Mandela Bay Science & Technology Centre was proud to welcome 15 exhibitors as well as 2 main sponsors of the 3rd Annual Career summit which was held at the NMBSTC from the 1st – 3rd March 2022. The Career Summit took place from 09h00 -13h20 over the course of three days’. Simultaneously, a Grade 12 outreach Career summit programme took place at local schools such as Gamble Street Secondary School, Uitenhage High School as well as John Walton Secondary School.
The Career Summit’s objectives were:
- To expose learners from various schools to the different career paths and career opportunities within their respective areas;
- to provide a platform for knowledge sharing where learners interact with industry, learning institutes and other relevant organisations as well as; and
- to provide information on access to learnerships, scholarships and funding opportunities across the various business and public sectors.
NMBSTC Research, Innovations & Sustainability Manager, Singathwa Kuli said, “The purpose of the summit is to expose all learners to academic & learning programmes offered within different institutions, and also to give them a glimpse of what happens in the world of work in order to prepare and assist them in making informed decisions about their future”.
The Summit took place in four venues within the Science Centre facility, namely;
- Exhibition Hall: included the VR stations, the Eskom educational touchscreens, the exhibiting organizations as well as various exhibitions sponsored by VWSA.
- Auditorium: 150-capacity venue which showcased the opening presentations as well as pre-recorded audio visuals.
- Vodacom Computer Laboratory: equipped with 12 computers facilitated the virtual presentation of an interactive online workshop.
- Continental Science Laboratory: 30 capacity venue that facilitated the presentation of a virtual talk shop.
The aforesaid venues gave a glimpse to all stakeholders involved what the Science Centre has to offer in terms of providing ample opportunities for learning, engaging and innovation.
Furthermore, the Career summit was attended by a total of 487 learners from 12 different schools around the Kariega and Despatch area(s).
“The Career Summit is well organised with various options for learners, my only wish is for more learners to get an opportunity to visit the NMBSTC”, said SAIMI Exhibitor, Athenkosi Kilane.
The event would also not have been possible without the collaboration with exhibitors and presenters who took part in the Career Summit. Due to the nature of the covid19 regulations, only 15 companies, represented by 2 members were allowed to exhibit at the Science Centre. An alternate option of presenting or facilitating workshops/talkshops was also made available to organisations.
The NMBSTC would like to extend its gratitude to all the organisations that conducted their exhibitions during the course of the Summit. Moreover, a special thanks to our main sponsors, Volkswagen South Africa and the National Union of Metal workers South Africa (NUMSA) for extending their hand in support and endorsement of the 3rd Annual Career Summit.
“The NMBSTC would also like to thank educators of the various schools that participated in the summit and importantly, to the learners. Learners are centric to what the Science Centre strives to do on a daily basis and the NMBSTC couldn’t be more pleased with the reception and response it received from the learners. The MBDA/NMBSTC are the heartbeat of the Science Centre and ought to proud of themselves for bringing life into such initiatives. “added Kuli
The MBDA-managed Science Centre will continue to improve on the lessons gathered from the 3rd Annual Career Summit. Schools, exhibitors and sponsors can expect a much-improved Summit with a bit of twist next year.
Interested parties are encouraged to contact Outreach Practioner, Ms. Pumza Tshebe at 041 991 5000 or email info@nmbstc.co.za to find more on how they can form part of the Summit next year.