Preparing learners for the job market

With at least six out of ten matriculants unable to find employment in the current South African job market, it is essential to equip young people as well as possible for the competitive arena out there. This is exactly what the Ithuba Project, the brainchild of freight recruitment specialist Lee Botti, aims to do. Through this project, launched last year for high school pupils, young learners are equipped with the necessary skills and knowhow to enter the job market. With topics ranging from what to wear to an interview to how to write up a Curriculum Vitae, Botti and colleague Mieke Cimma engage the young people through a series of interactive workshops sharing some valuable life lessons along the way. “You must know what you want in life,” Botti told a group of learners from Houtbay High School during an Ithuba Project workshop in Cape Town last week. “Take the criticism that comes your way and use it to your advantage to press on and forward. Be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up." CAPTION Mieke Cimma, a facilitator for the Ithuba Project, puts Houtbay High School pupil Sesethu Ndlela’s telephone skills to the test.