Opening the door to a better future

Employment news

Opening the door to a better future

SAnews.gov.za

Choosing a career path is one of the most important decisions that learners can make before leaving school. Learners should therefore ensure that they take the right combination of subjects that will open the door to opportunities after they leave school.

In a bid to help learners identify the career paths best suited to their abilities, the Gauteng Department of Education has introduced a career counselling and education programme for secondary schools.

Provincial Education MEC Barbara Creecy said the programme, which has been designed for Grade 8 and 9 learners, works with teachers, learners and their parents to jointly identify the career paths that best match the learner’s abilities, interests and goals.

“We all know how important choosing a set of subjects in Grade 10 is for completing matric

and pursuing an education or work opportunity, when you leave school. The programme focuses on empowering learners and parents to choose the right combination of subjects that will open opportunities after they leave school,” the MEC said.

Choices

MEC Creecy, who was speaking at the recent Soweto Learner Summit, noted that through schools, government provided choices to deter- mine a learner’s future. It does this by offering a number of services and interventions to ensure that they successfully develop their potential, talents and skills.

The department also offers learners in Grade 10 the option of choosing between completing a general National Senior Certificate or a Technical and Vocation National Senior Certificate. This will give Grade 9 learners the choice of going to a FET college to follow a vocational path or going to a technical high school to follow an intensive maths, science and technological direction. “To ensure that learners are successful, we are providing supplementary education programmes on Saturdays and school holidays.

The programme focuses on complementing the work done in schools by providing additional tuition and materials in 10 subjects, where the provincial failure rate is the highest,” the MEC said.

Digital and audio-visual

The programme also includes digital and au- dio-visual materials, study guides and career education material.

Encouraging learners to do their best, the MEC assured them that government was working at all levels with communities and families to make it possible for them to get the best education.

“I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do; I expect great things from each of you... so, don’t let us down,” she said.

“Do not let your family or your country or yourself down... make us all proud. I know you can do it”