Monday, 15 December 2008

NWU: Workstudy making news

Many students know about it through positions posted on notice boards around campus and some do not even know that such an office exists – The Work Study.

Many students have used it and other students even got permanent positions in different companies through the help of this office. Although the office might not seem to be marketed well enough to students, especially first year students – it has, however, been doing well over the years.

Work Study is an office in campus which was established to “help with student placement in different companies, how to writer concise and constructive CVs, how to prepare for interviews and also graduate recruitment and development,” said Bogadi Sito, a Work Study Manager at the time of writing.

Sito says that not only do companies approach her office, but she also looks and searches for companies that are interested in recruiting students from campus, known as on-campus recruitment.

Most of the recruited students are however those in their final year of study especially those who pursuing commerce-related careers, e.g. Accounting and Auditing.

National treasury, Accenture, Invest North West, North West Development Corporation, Department of Economic Affairs, South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), First National Bank (FNB), Competition Commission and North West Legislature are just some of the companies organizations that work closely with the Work Study and have a good and relationship.

Although the office has been doing well over the years, there are however challenges that need to be addressed.

“I do run workshops of how students should go about writing concise and constructive CVs, and the same students who had attended that workshops – would submit theirs CVs with the same mistakes I told them not to do. And that is a challenge on its own.” Said Sito

Work Study runs workshops on Entrepreneurship related issues so as for students to be able to create employment and not just be absorbed or employed by organizations, said Sito.

The Album has reliably learned at the time that Work Study is to implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was sealed between Umsobomvu Youth Fund and Higher Education South Africa.

According to Higher Education South Africa press release, this initiative will among other things address graduate unemployment and will not only benefit students studying at these institutions, but young people in the communities where these institutions are based will also benefit.

The date on which the Centre will be operational was still unknown at the time of writing.

There were students, said Sito, who underwent training as Umsobomvu Youth Fund ambassadors and will be working at the Centre. Therefore, it’s important that students on campus should go to the centre for more information, she said.

The Work Study office is expected to run a workshop during the course of this semester and all students are invited.

If you are a student, especially in your final year, want help on how to write your professional CV do not hesitate to ask for help as she, Sito, is there to help you.

Trust me, I would not send you there if I had not been there myself. I have been there en Ek het baie geleer. Miskien jy kan eits leer ook!.

Get in touch with Mrs. Bogadi Sito, Work Study office @ Admin Building No. 357/361 or call (018) 384 2465

This article was written for North West university's The Album newspaper before it was canlled last year, 2007

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